Data Collection

November 1, 2018November 5, 2018
by pod

There are myriad ways to collect data; here’s when to use each method

Phone Surveys are useful when the information is needed quickly, there is complex skip patterns, participants need to be screened, when the topics covered in the questionnaire are not sensitive, and nonrespondents are not thought to differ from respondents. Once the questionnaire is finalized, data collection can be done rapidly. Time to implement: 3-4 weeks Cost: Moderate

Mail Surveys were the go-to method historically. This was the major form of formal communication but started to decline in popularity in the 1980’s in favor of phone based surveys. Mail surveys have recently see a surge is utility as address-based sampling becomes the standard for data collection. Mail surveys are useful for general population surveys, when the questionnaire is longer or complex, participants don’t need to be screened, and when the information is not needed as urgently. Time to implement: 3-5 months Cost: Moderate

On-site surveys are very popular if the topic is central to the location.They are great for customer service questions, satisfaction with the location, short questionnaires, and when you have access to trained data collection technicians. Time to implement: 2 months Cost: High

Internet Surveys are very popular due to the low cost of data collection. These can be tricky to get reliable data because internet usage is not uniform in the population and people are switching to mobile. They are great for situations where all email addresses are known and valid, the questionnaire is highly complex, sensitive information is sought, and when funds are limited. We will often run an internet survey parallel to a mail survey and request the respondents complete it online. This approach known as a web-push survey saves money for remailings, data entry, and verification. These savings are then passed on to the customer. Time to implement: 3-6 weeks Cost: Low

Focus Groups are excellent for research questions that require a lot of follow up questions and probing to understand. If many of your questions are concerning the ‘why’ behind behaviors or attitudes, this is the way to go. Focus groups are also great for situations when you know that you need more information, but don’t know what or how to ask the questions. Much of the time associated with this method is devoted to working with the customer to refine the content of the moderation guide. Frequently, we will conduct focus groups before a survey so we can understand with depth, but also get the generalizability that a survey provides. Time to implement: 3-4 weeks Cost: Moderate

Internet Panels are used when generalizability is not needed or when the topic needs longitudinal data. This method often gets a bad rap because it is often used incorrectly. Too often, this method is used to collect data on a small subset of a population and then generalized to the whole population. Because our clients often need to know about a population, we tend not to use this method. Time to implement: 1-5 months Cost: Low

If one of these methods interest you, please contact us to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of it. We are happy to just talk methodology with your or you can engage us to do the work for you.

is a data and social scientist who uses statistics to conserve wildlife. He is a nationally recognized subject matter expert in human dimensions and the statistics associated with how people interact with natural resources. He frequently is requested as a speaker in local, state, and national level conferences to convey information regarding various research topics including social trends, human-wildlife interactions, and R3. He has received over half a million dollars in research grants and has been investigating humans and wildlife for over a decade. He is a peer-review editor for eight academic journals, regularly publishes peer-reviewed articles, and often appears in the popular media in articles regarding people and wildlife

Dr. Chase received a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s Degree from Brigham Young University in Wildlife Biology. He then received a Doctorate in Human Dimensions of Wildlife from Colorado State University, one of the foremost academic leaders in human dimensions of natural resources. While at CSU, he taught the culminating statistics course within the Human Dimensions Department. Then Dr. Chase worked for nearly a decade as a human dimensions professional at Arizona Game and Fish and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Dr. Chase is a Past-Chair of The Wildlife Society’s Human Dimensions Working Group, a Past-Chair of the Western Association of Fishing and Wildlife Agencies Human Dimensions Committee, and has served as a member of AFWA’s Technical Workgroup for the National Survey of Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife Associate. He is currently a member of the Wildlife Society, the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Sporting Clays Association, Trout Unlimited, and the International Federation of Fly Fishers.

is a subject matter expert in interpersonal communication, and is responsible for qualitative research design. Rebecca graduated Magna Cum Laude from Idaho State University with a degree in Speech Communication. She went on to receive her Master’s Degree from Texas A&M University, widely recognized as the premiere department in the world for organizational communication. She has presented her original work on emotions, as well as rhetorical studies, at prestigious regional and national conferences. In addition to publishing her research findings in peer-reviewed journals, she also has published numerous articles for newspaper and media outlets. Along with serving as a primary investigator for CCC, Rebecca teaches at Rio Salado College and is Adjunct Faculty for Brigham Young University-Idaho.