Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

SURVEY RESEARCH

TABLE 5 Differences between Ordinary Conversation and a Structured Survey Interview

ORDINARY CONVERSATION THE SURVEY INTERVIEW

1. Questions and answers from each participant are
   relatively equally balanced.
   
   
   1. Interviewer asks and respondent answers most of
      the time.
   
   
   
   


2. There is an open exchange of feelings and
   opinions.
   2. Only the respondent reveals feelings and opinions.


3. Judgments are stated and attempts made to
   persuade the other of particular points of view.
   3. Interviewer is nonjudgmental and does not try to
   change respondent’s opinions or beliefs.


4. A person can reveal deep inner feelings to gain
   sympathy or as a therapeutic release.
   4. Interviewer tries to obtain direct answers to specific
   questions.


5. Ritual responses are common (e.g., “Uh huh,”
   shaking head, “How are you?” “Fine”).
   5. Interviewer avoids making ritual responses that
   influence a respondent and seeks genuine answers,
   not ritual responses.


6. The participants exchange information and correct
   the factual errors that they are aware of.
   6. Respondent provides almost all information.
   Interviewer does not correct a respondent’s factual
   errors.


7. Topics rise and fall, and either person can introduce
   new topics. The focus can shift directions or digress
   to less relevant issues.
   7. Interviewer controls the topic, direction, and pace.
   He or she keeps the respondent “on task,” and
   irrelevant diversions are contained.


8. The emotional tone can shift from humor, to joy,
   to affection, to sadness, to anger, and so on.
   8. Interviewer attempts to maintain a consistently
   warm but serious and objective tone throughout.


9. People can evade or ignore questions and give
   flippant or noncommittal answers.
   9. Respondent should not evade questions and
   should give truthful, thoughtful answers.

Source:Adapted from Gorden (1980:19–25) and Sudman and Bradburn (1983:5–10).

Survey interviewers are nonjudgmental and do
not reveal their opinions, verbally or nonverbally.
For example, if the respondent gives a shocking
answer (e.g., “I was arrested three times for beating
my infant daughter and burning her with ciga-
rettes”), the interviewer does not show shock,
surprise, or disdain but treats the answer in a matter-
of-fact manner. Interviewers help respondents feel
that they can give any truthful answer. If a respon-
dent asks for an interviewer’s opinion, he or she
politely redirects the respondent and indicates that
such questions are inappropriate. For example, if a
respondent asks “What do you think?” the inter-
viewer may answer “Here we are interested in what
youthink; what I think doesn’t matter.”
An interviewer helps define the situation and
ensures that respondents have the information

sought, understand what is expected, give relevant

and serious answers, and are motivated to cooper-

ate. Interviewers do more than interview respon-

dents. Face-to-face interviewers spend only about

35 percent of their time interviewing. About 40

percent is spent locating the correct respondent,

15 percent traveling, and 10 percent studying survey

materials and dealing with administrative and

recording details.^63

Stages of an Interview

The interview proceeds through stages, beginning

with an introduction and entry. For a face-to-face

interview, the interviewer gets in the door, shows

authorization, and reassures the respondent and

secures his or her cooperation. The interviewer is