Characteristics of Surveys

• Surveys can be administered in a questionnaire that is mailed or emailed or in an interview over the phone or in person.
• Survey researchers often seek information that is not already available.
• Survey research requires the collection of standardized, quantifiable information from all members of a population or of a sample.
• Validity is the extent to which the measurements of the survey provide the information needed to meet the study’s purpose.
• Survey research is used to quantitatively describe specific aspects of a given population.
• The data required for survey research are collected from people and are, therefore, subjective.
• Survey research uses a selected portion of the population from which the findings can later be generalized back to the population.