context. Sources of error in surveys The primary purpose of a survey is to gathe
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context.
Sources of error in surveys
The primary purpose of a survey is to gather information about a population. However, even when a survey is conducted as a census, the results can be affected by several sources of error. A good survey design seeks to reduce all types of error – not only the sampling error arising from surveying a sample of the population. Table 11.1 below lists the four general categories of survey error as presented and defined in Groves (1989) as part of his ‘Total Survey Error’ approach.
Errors of coverage occur when some part of the population cannot be included in the sample. To be precise, Groves specifies three different populations:
1 The population of inference is the population that the researcher ultimately intends to draw conclusions about.
2 The target population is the population of inference less various groups that the researcher has chosen to disregard.
3 Theframepopulationisthatportionofthetarget population which the survey materials or devices delimit, identify, and subsequently allow access to (Wright and Tsao, 1983).
The survey sample then consists of those members of the sampling frame that were chosen to be surveyed, and coverage error is the difference between the frame population and the population of inference.
The two most common approaches to reducing coverage error are:
• obtaining as complete a sampling frame as pos- sible (or employing a frameless sampling strategy in which most or all of the target population has a positive chance of being sampled);
• post-stratifying to weight the survey sample to match the population of inference on some observed key characteristics.
Sampling error arises when a sample of the target population is surveyed. It results from the fact that different samples will generate different survey data. Roughly speaking, assuming a random sample, sampling error is reduced by increasing the sample size.
Nonresponse errors occur when data is not collected on either entire respondents (unit nonresponse) or individual survey ques- tions (item nonresponse). Groves (1989) calls nonresponse ‘an error of nonobservation’. The response rate, which is the ratio of the number of survey respondents to the number sampled, is often taken as a measure of how well the survey results can be generalized. Higher response rates are taken to imply a lower likelihood of nonresponse bias.
Measurement error arises when the survey response differs from the ‘true’ response. For example, respondents may not answer sensitive questions honestly for a variety of reasons, or respondents may misinterpret or make errors in answering questions. Measurement error is reduced in a variety of ways, including careful testing and revision of
Table 11.1
Type of error
Coverage Sampling Nonresponse Measurement
Sources of survey error according to Groves (1989)
Definition
‘...the failure to give any chance of sample selection to some persons in the population’. ‘...heterogeneity on the survey measure among persons in the population’.
‘...the failure to collect data on all persons in the sample’.
‘...inaccuracies in responses recorded on the survey instruments’.
[17:36 4/3/2008 5123-Fielding-Ch11.tex]
Paper: a4 Job No: 5123 Fielding: Online Research Methods (Handbook) Page: 198 195–217
SAMPLING METHODS FOR WEB AND E-MAIL SURVEYS 199
the survey instrument and questions, choice of survey mode or modes, etc. read this article and answer the following questions please thank you
Explanation / Answer
There are four general categories of survey error.
1. Coverage Errors
2. Sampling Errors
3. Non-response Errors
4. Measurement Errors
Coverage errors occur when some part of the population cannot be included in the sample. The source of the Coverage error is the difference between the frame population and the population of inference. Groves specifies three different populations:
i. The population of inference is the population that the researcher ultimately intends to draw conclusions about.
ii. The target population is the population of inference less various groups that the researcher has chosen to disregard.
iii. The frame population is that portion of the target population which the survey materials or devices delimit, identify, and subsequently allow access to.
Sampling error arises when a sample of the target population is surveyed. It results from the fact that different samples will generate different survey data. Roughly speaking, assuming a random sample, sampling error is reduced by increasing the sample size.
Nonresponse errors occur when data is not collected on either entire respondents (unit nonresponse) or individual survey questions (item nonresponse). Groves (1989) calls nonresponse ‘an error of nonobservation’.
Measurement error arises when the survey response differs from the ‘true’ response. For example, respondents may not answer sensitive questions honestly for a variety of reasons, or respondents may misinterpret or make errors in answering questions. Measurement error is reduced in a variety of ways, including careful testing and revision of
the survey instrument and questions, choice of survey mode or modes.
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