Surveys are concerned with describing, recording, analyzing and interpreting conditions that exist or existed. The researcher does not manipulate the variable or arrange for events to happen Surveys are only concerned with conditions or relationships that exist, opinions that are held, processes that are going on, effects that are evident or trends that are developing. They are primarily concerned with present but at times do consider past events and influences as they relate to current conditions.
- Survey type researches usually have larger samples because percentages of responses generally happen to be low, as low as 20 to 30%, especially in mailed questionnaire studies. Thus, the survey method gathers data relatively from the large number of cases at a peculiar time; it is essentially cross-sectional.
- Surveys are conducted in case of descriptive research studies, usually appropriate in case of social and behavioral sciences because many types of behavior that interest researcher cannot be arranged in realistic setting.
- Surveys are example of field research and are concerned with hypothesis formulation and testing analysis of the relationship between non-manipulated variables.
- Surveys may either be census or sample surveys. They may also be classified as social surveys, economic surveys, public opinion surveys. Whatever be their type, the method of data collection happens to be either observation or interview or questionnaire or opinionnaire or some projective technique. Case method may as well be used.
- In case of surveys, research design must be rigid, must make economical provision for protection against bias and must maximize reliability, the aim happens to be to obtain complete and accurate information.
- Possible relationships between the data and the unknowns in the universe can be studied through surveys.
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