Best Practices for Survey Research
Best Practices for Survey Research
Updated March 2022
Table of Contents
1. Planning for your survey ...................................................................................................................... 2
Is a survey the best method for  ................................................. 2

 .................................................................................................................................. 2
2. Designing your sample ......................................................................................................................... 3
............................................................................................................... 3
  ............................................................ 3
 ............................................................................................. 4
 ....................................... 5
4. Fielding your survey ............................................................................................................................. 5
 ................................................................... 5
What  .............................................................. 6
 ............................................ 6
 ................................................. 6
 ........................................................................................... 7
 .............................................................. 7
 ...................................................................................... 7
 ................................ 7
Planning for your survey
Is a survey the best method for answering your research ques�on?
 of groups
ays be the best tool for answering your 
They may be appropriate when there is not  
study. Researchers should consider the following conduct a survey:
• 
• 
• Are other research methods such as focus groups or content analyses more 
• Is a survey  other

 selling.
AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics
.
Should the survey be offered online, by mail, in person, on the phone, or in some combina�on of
these modes?
 The most
 will depend at least
in part on the type of informa 
 should balance the data quality needs
 equirements.
•  
 areas are less likely
to have reliable internet access or to be comfortable using computers. Online surveys may work
well when the primary way you contact respondents is via email. It also may elicit more honest
answers from respondents on 
to 
•  use of
interviewers. Well-trained interviewers can help guide the respondent through 
might be hard to understand and encourage them to keep going if they 
reducing the number of people who do not complete the survey.
•  numbers.
Quality standards can be easier to maintain in telephone surveys if interviewers are in one

• In--to- than
either online or telephone surveys. With an in- build a rapport
 understand. This is
-person surveys 
sampling frame consists of addresses.
• Mailed paper surveys can work well when the mailing addresses of the survey respondents are
known. Respondents can complete the survey at their own convenience and do not need to
have a computer  they can work well for surveys on
 
 ns based
on prior responses may be confusing to respondents and therefore 
modes.

 concurrently with
  responses or mailing a
paper survey with a telephone follow-up with those who have not yet responded.
Designing your sample
When y they are
 in the U.S. A
  respondents – your sample
–  you to draw a sample from the larger
- addresses in the geographic area in which your
pop 
a list of phone numbers. Thinking through how to design your sample 
best can help you run a more accurate survey that will require fewer adjustments  to match the

 combine a
sampling frame of people with cell phones and a sampling frame of people with landlines 

Surveys can be either probability-based or nonprobability- 
 
 such as a list of all the phone
 individuals are selected using random methods
to complete the survey.
 nonprobability samples and online surveys have gained popularity due to the rising cost
of - such as
 “opt-in” online
 through social media or personal networks. 
nonprobability- 
care to ensure transparency about the methodology.
Designing your ques�onnaire
What are some best prac�ces for wri�ng survey ques�ons?
• 
– some may
think of the federal governme
• Write  and use words and concepts that the target audience will
 
among respondents.
•  a
certain way or that presents only one side of an issue. Also be aware that respondents may tend
toward a socially desirable answer or toward saying “yes” or “agree” in an 

•  they
 out the
 whether they favor or oppose
 
favorability of that leader may prime them to weigh those certain p
than they otherwise would in determining how to answer about favorability.
• -ended or open-ended. Closed-ended 
 less of a burden on respondents
 
a respondent answers. Open- respondents to respond in their own words
but require coding in order to be interpreted 
• -re. They should be
 such as
 
 
 the other half see them in reverse
 -administered
surveys and the last answer in interviewer-
researchers to check whether there are 
•  or no
 both English
interviewer-administered modes.
• -wording
for more details
How can I measure change over �me?
If you want 
To accurately measure whether an observed change between surveys taken at two points in 
 
methodology of the survey as similar as possible across the two surveys. Changes in 
 how respondents answer and make it
appear that there has been a change in public opinion even if the only change is in how respondents are
 
 o
 because many people respond to certain 
when speaking to an interviewer on the phone versus responding in private 
 see as socially undesirable or

If changing the measure is necessary --  wording or a desire to switch
-- the researcher can employ a split-ballot experiment to test whether
 a survey -- one
with the previous mo -- with all
other factors kept as similar as possible across the two versions. If respondents answer both versions
 due to 

 should be
he change in measurement.
How can I ensure the safety, confiden�ality, and comfort of respondents?
• 
o the study. If releasing
 survey
 
like names and addresses are removed.
•  
to respondents. Consider taking
one or more of the following steps:
o Consult an l Review Board
 

o  or just before the 
 skip the 
not comfortable answering them (and be sure to program an online survey to allow
 
o Provide links or hotlines to resources that can help respondents who were 
 
 
• Build rapport with a respondent by beginning with easy and not-too- and

•  and
-
• 
 increases
the risk of respondents choosing to leave the survey early.
Fielding your survey
If I am using interviewers, how should they be trained?
 and
administering the survey. Recruitment  sampled
 be comfortable
 
terms. They should have familiarity with the concepts the survey 
 
interviews to familiarize the interviewers with the variety 
survey is being administered in languages other 
 awareness. Training should address how to conduct non-English interviews
appropriately.
Interviewers should be trained in protocols on how best to protect the health and well-being of
- Training in the
social distancing would be 
What kinds of tes�ng should I do before fielding a survey?
 
 
 came up with their answers.
 to those who will be in the survey

 administering
 
 

What kinds of monitoring or quality checks should I do on my survey?
Checks must be made at every step of the survey life cycle to ensure that the sample is 
nterviewers do their work 
 are used. The data should be
monitored while it is being collected by using techniques such as 
of some interviews (re- response and para data 
 error or interviewer training issue that needs to be addressed
immediately.
How do I get as many people to respond to the survey as possible?
 to
 missing some
 are a variety of ways to
 monetary or non-monetary
  
 help convince reluctant respondents to
 convince both respondents who have not
acknowledged the survey requests as well as those 
Analyzing and repor�ng the survey results
What are the common methods of analyzing survey data?
 are a few
details unique to survey data analysis to take note of. It is important to be as 
including 
 survey and
drop- or break-. You
should make sure to indicate these responses in your data and use a value to indicate there was no
 
 same applies if your survey allows
respondent
-tabulated results or crosstabs for short.
 headers and another
s answers as the row names. The values in the crosstab can be either counts -- the number of
 -- 
100%.
Analyzing su a sample
 margin of
of error is a measurement of
 
 measurement used for
 Margin of Error
resources.
What is weigh�ng, and why is it important?


 rarely
 
technique to adjust the results to  respondents to match the

To learn more about 
resources.
What are the common industry standards for transparency in repor�ng data?
B how a
survey was run and analyzed so that people know how to interpret and draw conclusions from it.
 survey results that
uphold the industry transparency standards. These items include sample the margin of sampling
 
 
how the survey was run. The list of items to report can vary based on the mode of your survey -- 
face-to-face
 want to commit to upholding these standards can also become members of the
Transparency 
.