Sampling and Surveys

SAMPLING

Professor Waters wants to survey students in Sociology 128 about their experience in the course. She does not have the time to survey all 72students, so she decided to sample just 20% of the class.

  • If she wanted to select a simple random sample, how would she do this?
  • What are the advantages of a simple random sample?
  • What are the disadvantages?
  • What is a systematic sample? When is it most convenient to use?
  • Imagine Professor Waters is most interested in finding out what students think of section. What sampling strategy would you recommend?
  • Professor Waters is considering standing in the back of the lecture hall at the end of class and speaking to the first 14 students who exit the room. What are the issues with this approach?
  • Imagine Harvard commissions Professor Waters to evaluate students’ happiness across campus using face-to-face surveys and a limited budget. How might you advise Professor Waters here?

SURVEY DESIGN

Dos and Don’ts

  • Avoid double-barreled questions (i.e., asking 2 different things in one question)
  • Try to deal with social desirability bias by asking questions in a way that seems more acceptable
  • Include reliability checks to make sure that people aren’t being lazy with their survey responses
  • Avoid negative terms
  • Avoid bias introduced by identifying an attitude with a prestigious person or agency
  • Ask boring questions first in face-to-face interviews and last in questionnaires
  • Keep the language simple and unambiguous
  • Ask sensitive questions at the end (e.g., income or sexual activity)
  • Use cards or other aids for sensitive questions
  • Use scales and indexes for multiple measures of complex higher order concepts

______

Sample Questions:

1. Do you like to shop at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods?

Problem: ______

Solution: ______

2. What Brand of computer do you own?

a. IBM PC

b. Apple Mac

Problem: ______

Solution: ______

3. What kind of music do you like?

a. rap

b. pop

c. country

d. other

Problem:______

Solution:______

4. Are you in favor of Proposition 12?

Problem:______

Solution:______

5. Are you concerned about high crime rates in your city?

a. yes

b. no

Problem:______

Solution:______

6. Do you agree with how Governor Christie dealt with Hurricane Sandy?

a. agree

b. disagree

c. don’t know

Problem:______

Solution:______

7. What do you think of the food in Harvard’s dining halls?

a. poor

b. average

c. good

d. very good

e. excellent

Problem:______

Solution:______

8. Because they are better at managing the home, should women be prevented from entering the labor force?

a. strongly agree

b. agree

c. disagree

d. strongly disagree

Problem:______

Solution:______

1