A Companion to Survey Research provides a critical overview and guide to survey methods. Rather than a set of formulas, survey design is understood as a craft where the translation of research questions into a questionnaire, sample design and data collection strategy is based on understanding how respondents answer questions and their willingness to complete a survey. Following an account of the invention of survey research in the 1930s, a synthesis of research on question design is followed by a practical guide to designing a questionnaire. Chapters on sampling, which deal with the statistical basis of survey sampling and practical design issues, are followed by extensive discussions of survey pretesting and data collection. The book concludes with a discussion of the extent and implications of falling response rates. This book is written for researchers, analysts and policy makers who want to understand the survey data they use, for researchers and students who want to conduct a survey, and for anyone who wants to understand contemporary survey research.

This text reviews the literature on crafting survey instruments, and provides both general principles governing question-writing and guidance on how to develop a questionnaire.

Focusing on the use of technology in survey research, this book integrates both theory and application and covers important elements of survey research including survey design, implementation and continuing data management.

A specific objective of this scan of recent travel surveys is to facilitate the exchange of information among agencies and individuals having an interest in the design and conduct of household and other types of travel surveys. The information contained in this report complements the companion "Travel Survey Manual", published as part of the Travel Model Improvement Program (TMIP). The "Travel Survey Manual" is a reference document describing accepted practices and recent advancements for the most common types of travel surveys. Four purposes guided the development of this scan: to determine the general state-of-the-practice of travel surveys in this country; to identify the types of surveys being conducted, and the frequency of data collection; to compare United States survey practices to travel survey procedures being used in other countries; and, to assess the degree to which emerging state-of-the-art survey techniques are being introduced into practice.

Professional practice in the design and execution of employee survey programs has evolved tremendously over the past decade. Advances in technology and enthusiastic new interest in talent analytics have combined to create an exciting space with a good deal of innovation along methodological lines, matched by renewed interest in the strategic role of surveys and sensing for improving organizational effectiveness. Providing solid grounding in the basic issues of content development, interpreting results, and driving action, this book also addresses cutting-edge topics in the area of survey analytics (including applications of computational linguistics and artificial intelligence). Significant emphasis is given to ethical issues which are particularly salient given the zeitgeist for ensuring the protection of data and the privacy of survey respondents. The book is appropriate for use in advanced graduate level courses in survey research and will be a valuable shelf resource for survey practitioners whether trained formally in I-O psychology or other areas of organizational science.

To the uninformed, surveys appear to be an easy type of research to design and conduct, but when students and professionals delve deeper, they encounter the vast complexities that the range and practice of survey methods present. To complicate matters, technology has rapidly affected the way surveys can be conducted; today, surveys are conducted via cell phone, the Internet, email, interactive voice response, and other technology-based modes. Thus, students, researchers, and professionals need both a comprehensive understanding of these complexities and a revised set of tools to meet the challenges. In conjunction with top survey researchers around the world and with Nielsen Media Research serving as the corporate sponsor, the Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods presents state-of-the-art information and methodological examples from the field of survey research. Although there are other "how-to" guides and references texts on survey research, none is as comprehensive as this Encyclopedia, and none presents the material in such a focused and approachable manner. With more than 600 entries, this resource uses a Total Survey Error perspective that considers all aspects of possible survey error from a cost-benefit standpoint. Key Features Covers all major facets of survey research methodology, from selecting the sample design and the sampling frame, designing and pretesting the questionnaire, data collection, and data coding, to the thorny issues surrounding diminishing response rates, confidentiality, privacy, informed consent and other ethical issues, data weighting, and data analyses Presents a Reader′s Guide to organize entries around themes or specific topics and easily guide users to areas of interest Offers cross-referenced terms, a brief listing of Further Readings, and stable Web site URLs following most entries The Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods is specifically written to appeal to beginning, intermediate, and advanced students, practitioners, researchers, consultants, and consumers of survey-based information.