Survey Science Institute

November 6 2024January 27 2025*The Election Polling Series, Data analysis, Generalization of findings, Reporting accuracy

US Election Polls – 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 [...]Read more

October 16 2024January 27 2025Generalization of findings, Statistical significance

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 [...]Read more

September 3 2024January 27 2025Collecting data, Generalization of findings, Reporting accuracy, Weighting

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 [...]Read more

June 12 2024December 31 2025Data analysis, Generalization of findings, Reporting accuracy

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 [...]Read more

May 28 2024November 26 2024Response scales

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 [...]Read more

May 13 2024November 26 2024Reporting accuracy, Response scales

Paraphrasing can distort your findings

A tiny change in wording can change survey findings . It has been demonstrated repeatedly that a small change in [...]Read more

April 22 2024November 26 2024Reporting accuracy, Response scales

“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. [...]Read more

April 3 2024November 26 2024Questionnaire design, Response scales