Mailed surveys

The first method of survey distribution is mailed survey. These are surveys that are sent to potential respondents via mail service,or ‘snail mail’. Mailed surveys were once more popular because they could reach every household. For example, every four years, Statistics Canada conducts a population census. The first step in that data collection is to send a survey through Canada Post to every household. The benefit of mailed surveys is that respondents can fill it out at their own convenience. The drawbacks of mailed surveys are the cost and timeliness of responses. Mailed surveys require postage to be paid to the recipient and back. This, combined with the cost of printing, paper, and envelopes, adds up to the cost of mailed surveys.

Also, because of the convenience to the respondent, completed surveys may be returned several weeks after being sent. Finally, some mailed survey data must be manually entered into the analysis software, which can cause delays or issues due to entry errors.

Phone surveys

Phone surveys are conducted over the phone with the respondent; traditional phone surveys required a data collector to speak with the participant; however, modern technology permits computer-assisted voice surveys or surveys where the respondent is asked to press a button for each possible response. Phone surveys take a lot of time, but they allow the respondent to ask questions and the surveyor to request more information or clarification on a question if necessary. One drawback of phone surveys is that they must be completed simultaneously with the collector, which presents a limitation because there are set hours during which calls can be made. Another major drawback of phone surveys is the decline in landlines over the previous ten years and the demographic of folks who do have landlines – seniors – in contrast to those who only have a mobile phone. Using phone surveys can make it challenging to reach a diverse sample of respondents.

In person surveys

Surveys collected in-person can take place in a variety of ways: through door-to-door collection, in a public location, or at a person’s workplace. Although in-person surveys are time-intensive and require more labour to collect data than some other methods, in some cases it is the best way to collect the required data. One of the downsides of in-person surveys is the reluctance of potential respondents to stop their current activity and answer questions. Furthermore, people may not feel comfortable sharing private or personal information during a face-to-face conversation.

Electronic surveys

Digitally collected data has the advantage of being less time consuming and often more cost-effective than more manual methods; a survey that could take months to collect through the mail can be completed within a week using digital means. Electronic surveys are sent or collected through digital means and are an opportunity that can be added to any of the above methods as well as some new delivery options. Surveys can be sent through email, and respondents can reply to the email or open a hyperlink to an online survey. A letter can be mailed asking members of the survey sample to log in to a website rather than return a mailed response. Many marketers now use links, QR codes, or electronic devices to easily connect to a survey.

Professor Hernandez shares an overview of the four most common types of survey distribution in this short video.

References

Albrecht, M. G., Green, M., & Hoffman, L. (2023). Principles of Marketing. OpenStax, Rice University. CC BY 4.0

Bhattacherjee, A. (2012). Social Science Research: Principles, methods, and practices. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Blackstone, A. (2012). Principles of sociological inquiry: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. Open Textbook Library. CC BY-NC-SA

Elon University Poll. (2014, September 26). Methods of collecting survey data [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hECPeKv5tPM