Developments in Survey Research over the Past 60 Years: A Personal Perspective

Abstract

Summary Many developments have occurred in the practice of survey sampling and survey methodology in the past 60 years or so. These developments have been partly driven by the emergence of computers and the continuous growth in computer power over the years and partly by the increasingly sophisticated demands from the users of survey data. The paper reviews these developments with a main emphasis on survey sampling issues for the design and analysis of social surveys. Design‐based inference based on probability samples was the predominant approach in the early years, but over time, that predominance has been eroded by the need to employ model‐dependent methods to deal with missing data and to satisfy analysts' demands for survey estimates that cannot be met with design‐based methods. With the continuous decline in response rates that has occurred in recent years, much current research has focused on the use of non‐probability samples and data collected from administrative records and web surveys.

Evaluación de la investigación con encuestas en artículos publicados en revistas del área de Biblioteconomía y Documentación

“…Así, el modo de administración más frecuente es a través de la web o por correo electrónico (66,3%), siendo el correo electrónico, con un enlace a la encuesta web, el medio de contacto con los individuos. Este tipo de encuestas llevadas a cabo en muestras no probabilísticas son las más coste-eficaces, ya que permiten alcanzar a un mayor número de participantes de manera simple, rápida y barata (Kalton, 2019), pero tienen tendencia a introducir un sesgo en la muestra (error de cobertura) ya que los encuestados suelen ser voluntarios o autoseleccionados y su opinión puede ser diferente de aquellos que rehúsan, no tienen interés o no tienen acceso a Internet (Bethlehem, 2010).…”

On Making Valid Inferences by Integrating Data from Surveys and Other Sources

“…He showed that both the total variance and the interviewer variance component can be estimated by assigning the subsamples at random to the interviewers. Kalton (2019) notes that response errors remain a major concern although much research on total survey error has been conducted since the pioneering work of Mahalanobis (1946) and Hansen et al (1951).…”

“…Also, responsive or adaptive designs (Groves and Heeringa 2006) and paradata collection to increase response rates and adjust for non-response bias and measurement errors have been studied. Kalton (2019) notes that the new work on responsive designs and paradata collection "have not had great success in counteracting falling response rates and increasing costs". Other significant contributions include randomized response sampling methods to handle sensitive questions (Chaudhuri and Christofides 2013), and adaptive or network sampling when serviceable frames are not available.…”

“…(Thompson 2002). Kalton (2019) mentions the use of quasi-probability sample designs that are not strictly based on probability sampling. One example is quota sampling which may be "described as stratified sampling with a more or less nonrandom selection of units within strata" (Cochran 1977).…”

To send or not to send: weighing the costs and benefits of mailing an advance letter to participants before a telephone survey

“…While the use of questionnaires in research has increased during the last century, participation in survey research continues to decline [ 1 – 4 ]. This has become especially apparent in telephone surveys [ 2 ], where cultural norms make it common for individuals to ignore and block unwanted calls [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]. The greater ability and availability of the Internet has also shifted some telephone activities to online platforms [ 1 ], further changing telecommunication practices.…”