Blog Posts: Survey Sampling
- All
- Collecting data
- Data Analysis
- Generalization of findings
- Questionnaire design
- Reporting accuracy
- Response scales
- Statistical significance
- Weighting
US Elections – Don’t blame survey science
Wondering why US pollsters got it wrong? Non-response bias is the primary reason. In 2024, the vast majority of election [...]
Foundations: No p-values for Census data
A Census survey gathers information from every member (unit) of the Target Population. A random sample survey, on the other [...]
So what IS Survey Methodology, anyway?
Survey Methodology relates to the approach taken to select survey respondents (sampling) and to other key facets of a survey [...]
Qualitative Research: The Forbidden Extrapolation
Qualitative research cannot be extrapolated to a Target Population. Period. Only quantitative research with specific design structures can be statistically [...]
Forced-choice questions more accurate than ‘select all that apply’
'Select all that apply' questions are quick a quick and easy option for online surveys; however, studies show that the [...]
Paraphrasing can distort your findings
A tiny change in wording can change survey findings . It has been demonstrated repeatedly that a small change in [...]
“Average” is not a rating scale mid-point
A student's "average" level of satisfaction with their teachers could be "very satisfied" or "very dissatisfied" or anywhere in between. [...]
Survey suppliers: Don’t do me a bamboozle
You’ve hired a survey supplier, but something doesn’t look right to you. Trust yourself. Ask questions. Expect plain language answers [...]
The assumption of “high quality data”
Context The Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) has conducted a State of the Sector survey for 4 consecutive years. ONN describes [...]
Define your Target Population: It can be tricky
It is important to define your Target Population very specifically. This may sound simple, but very often it's not. Your [...]