Surveying Surveys
3/28/13
Times, they are a-changin’
As recently as a couple of years ago, we were keeping our distance from online panels for research. We even blogged about it. But things have been changing. And now evidence is starting to accumulate that online polls can rival (or even exceed) traditional polling methods in accuracy. A recent article in The Atlantic provides […]
By Beth MulliganRead More
2/12/13
DIY is no substitute for expertise
A great deal of strategic thinking and expertise goes into our work here at Corona Insights. With the abundance of DIY researcher tools (e.g., SurveyMonkey), more and more companies and organizations opt to do research themselves, perhaps not realizing the value outside experts can provide to their project. So it was nice when a recent […]
By Corona InsightsRead More
2/7/13
Here’s to people who fill out surveys
We got a present today – an Economic Census form! Yes, after 13 years of waiting, Corona Insights is part of the selected sample for the 2012 Economic Census. Maybe other companies wouldn’t be so excited about getting a 9-page form that starts off with the statement, “Your Response Is Required By Law”, but we […]
By Kevin RainesRead More
2/4/13
The Power of Numbers
Numbers are an interesting thing. We all have an innate sense of quantities, but numbers are a culturally agreed upon format for representing those quantities. When we are trying to convey quantitative information to other people, the choice between “7 days” vs. “1 week” or “100 out of 300” vs. “1 out of 3” often […]
By Kate DarwentRead More
11/9/12
Unusual Questions Asked in the U.S. Census
Kevin recently taught a class on how to use U.S. Census data, and did a little historical research on census questions. He discovered a few questions asked in the past that may seem a little odd today, though they likely were quite relevant during their particular time period. They’re paraphrased below. 1. 1850 Census – […]
By Kevin RainesRead More
10/19/12
Beer and politics
While we typically steer clear of politics here, preferring to remain the unbiased, neutral party, we do not steer clear of items related to beer. Four years ago, I posted a blog post about the numerous alternative polls being used to predict the election, from Halloween masks to cookies. This year, instead of showing more […]
By David KennedyRead More
10/18/12
Asking survey questions that measure what you are trying to measure
It’s a common problem seen in market research – asking one question to imply the answer to another. Sometimes it’s unavoidable- when writing a survey, you can’t show your hand and let participants know the information you are really looking for. However, too often interpretations and decisions are made not by faulty data, but by […]
By David KennedyRead More
3/15/12
Looking at survey responses by audience
First, let me say, “Happy March Madness” to all of our followers as the men’s NCAA basketball tournament kicks off today. We’re all in the office working today at Corona—still settling into the new space—but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about the tournament every once in a while, right? Here’s a graph from ESPN.com […]
By Todd StoltenbergRead More
1/6/12
How many people actually cut the cords?
Reconciling survey data with the real world. A recent survey from Deloitte found that one in five U.S. residents say they have either cut the cord (i.e., cancelled cable or satellite service) or are thinking about doing it. Nine percent of survey respondents indicated they have recently “cut the cord” while another eleven percent are […]
By David KennedyRead More
9/13/10
Taking care of respondents
We’ve commented before how survey length can impact participants and data quality, but it is also important to respect respondents in other ways too. Set expectations. Inform them of the length, topic, nature of questions, etc. Don’t lead them to believe one thing then surprise them on the survey with another. Allow them to opt […]
By David KennedyRead More