Surveying Surveys
3/20/14
How to make sense of open-ended responses
As we’ve pointed out before, including an open-ended question or two on a survey can be incredibly enlightening. After all, these kinds of questions really bring the attitudes and beliefs of respondents to life and leave the researcher with a rich pool of genuine opinions on a topic. However, open-ended data can sometimes present an […]
By Sarah WilliamsRead More
3/13/14
How to ask demographic questions
Asking demographic questions (e.g., age, gender, marital status) should be the easiest of survey questions to ask, right? What if I told you asking someone how old they are will yield different results than asking in what year they were born, or that asking a sensitive question (e.g., How much money did you make last […]
By Matt BruceRead More
3/5/14
Why pay research participants?
We’ve probably all received some type of payment for participating in research before, whether it was for completing a survey, participating in a focus group or online community, or other form of research. But should we be paying people for their participation? While it would be nice if people would be intrinsically motivated to take […]
By David KennedyRead More
2/26/14
What are you measuring when you ask your customers, “Are you satisfied?”
Business, governments, and nonprofits often ask those who come into contact with them how satisfied are they with X? You’ve undoubtedly been asked this yourself in the past and perhaps you’ve even run your own customer feedback (often dubbed Voice of the Customer) program. Doing so is smart as it can uncover problem areas and […]
By David KennedyRead More
2/20/14
Is cluster sampling a good fit for your survey?
Here at Corona, we strive to help our clients maximize the value of their research budgets, often by suggesting solutions that get the job done faster, better, or at a reduced cost. In survey research, developing an accurate sampling frame (i.e., a list of the study population and their contact information) is instrumental for success, […]
By Matt BruceRead More
1/7/14
Online polls are not scientific research
We remain surprised at the number of people who mistake open online polls for scientific research. This story about SeaWorld and a question about whether they “stuffed the ballot box” on an online poll overlooks the bigger picture when they discuss the topic. Online polls with open links are not scientific research and you can […]
By Kevin RainesRead More
10/8/13
The language of surveys
Language is simultaneously one of the most interesting and one of the most frustrating aspects of doing research with people. However, until we figure out a way to read people’s minds as they go about their daily lives, we have to rely on surveys to better understand their thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs. Unfortunately, language is […]
By Kate DarwentRead More
6/13/13
How to tell real market research from … other stuff
A few years back, a coworker and I wrote a couple of entries for the Encyclopedia of Survey Research on the topics of “sugging” and “frugging”. These are highly unethical practices where an organization attempts to sell a product or fundraise in a manner that uses market research as a cover. I got something in […]
By Kevin RainesRead More
4/18/13
What hot wing sauce can teach us about scales
Years ago, my brother and I used to devour hot wings. Emphasis on hot. While I don’t always default to the hottest option now (age = wisdom?), I still opt for sauces on the hotter end of scale. But those scales seem increasingly far from standard. Sauces used to be fall under mild, medium, and […]
By David KennedyRead More
4/11/13
You Can Survey Too Much
Last week, the Wall Street Journal wrote a piece called, “Dear Airline, Here is the Problem…” about airline customer surveys and how they’re used. We enjoyed the article and wanted to share our key takeaways: The airlines sample judiciously to develop statistically reliable data with minimum intrusion on their customers. This is a more sophisticated […]
By Kevin RainesRead More