Survey

There are many data collection and measurement processes that are called surveys. Following some of them are listed:

• Are designed to produce statistics, that is, quantitative or numerical descriptions about some aspects of the study population.
• Collect information by asking people questions, whose answers constitute the data to be analyzed.
• Collect information about only a fraction of the population, that is, a sample, rather than from every member of the population.

There are three types of survey research that involve experimental research:

1. Exploratory - the objective is to become more familiar with a topic. There is usually no model in exploratory research and the concepts of interest need to be better understood and measured. In the preliminary stages, exploratory research can help to determine the concepts to be measured in relation to the phenomenon of interest, how best to measure them, and facts described can provide useful hints both for theory building and for theory refinement. This type of study has been described as indispensable in the early stages of studying a phenomenon as it develops the constructs that comprise theories. For example, a descriptive survey might be concerned with documenting the types of eParticipation genres being used by small and large governments. Hypothesis related to common perceptions or changes over time are sometimes formulated and tested.
2. Descriptive – the focus is in understanding the relevance of a certain phenomenon and describing the distribution of the phenomenon in a population. Its primary aim is not theory development, even though the
3. Explanatory (confirmatory or theory testing) - takes place when knowledge of a phenomenon has been articulated in a theoretical form using well-defined concepts, models, and propositions. This research is devoted to finding causal relationships among variables. It does so from theory-based expectations on how and why variables should be related. Hypotheses could be basic (i.e., relationships exist) or could be directional (i.e., positive or negative). Data collection is carried out with the specific aim of testing the adequacy of the concepts developed in relation to the phenomenon, of hypothesized linkages among the concepts, and of the validity of the boundaries of the models. Results then are interpreted and in turn contribute to theory development. Correspondingly, all of the error sources have to be considered carefully.

See DEMO-net D14.5 for further information on surveys how to discover new facets of the phenomenon under study. Subsequently, it can help to uncover or provide preliminary evidence of association among concepts. Later again, it can help to explore the valid boundary of a theory. Sometimes this kind of survey is carried out using data collected in previous studies.

• Electioneering

Sanford, CC (2007)
D14.5: DEMO-net booklet: Survey methods used to understand and evaluate eParticipation
Miscellaneous publication, DEMO-net Booklet.