Think through each answer, then respond clearly and precisely. Give the answer that best represents your beliefs, attitudes, or actions. Do not permit interviewer bias to lead you toward an answer you think the interviewer wants to hear or how other respon- dents have answered.

You can refuse to answer poorly constructed or leading questions or give data that seem irrelevant or an invasion of privacy. For instance, an interviewer recently asked one of the authors, “Do you favor boutique solutions to our energy needs such as wind farms or environmentally friendly nuclear power plants that can supply electricity to major industries and cities?” The word “boutique” revealed the bias and agenda of the interviewer. Demand tactful, sensitive, and polite treatment from interviewers. Insist on adequate time to answer questions. If you have agreed to a 10-minute interview and the interview is still going strong at the 10-minute mark, remind the interviewer of the agreement and proceed to close the interview unless only a few more seconds are required. Survey interviews can be fun, interesting, and informative if both parties treat one another fairly.

Summary

The survey interview is the most meticulously planned and executed of interviews. Planning begins with determining a clearly defined purpose and conducting research. The purpose of the survey interview is to establish a solid base of fact from which to draw conclusions, make interpretations, and determine future courses of action. Only then does the survey creator structure the interview and develop questions with appropriate strategies, scales, sequences, coding, and recording methods. Selecting interviewees involves delineating a target population to survey and choosing a sample of this population that represents the whole. The creator of the survey chooses sampling methods, determines the size of the sample, and plans for an acceptable margin of error. Each choice has advantages and dis- advantages because there is no one correct way to handle all surveys.

Survey respondents must determine the nature of the survey and its purposes before deciding whether to take part. If the decision is to participate, respondents have a responsibility to listen carefully to each question and answer it accurately. Be sure you understand each question and its answer options. Demand enough time to think

Listen perceptively.

Think before answering.

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through answers. Feel free to refuse to answer obviously leading or poorly phrased questions that require biased answers or choosing among options that do not include how you feel and what you prefer.

Key Terms and Concepts

Bogardus Social Distance Scale

Chain or contingency strategy

Convenience sample Cross-sectional survey Evaluative interval scale Face-to-face interview Filter strategy Frequency interval scale Internet interview Interval scale Leaning question strategy Level of confidence Likert scale

Longitudinal survey Margin of error Marginalized respondent Nominal scale Non-probability sampling Numerical interval scale Order bias Ordinal scale Personal interview Population Probability sampling Qualitative survey Quantitative survey Precision journalism Random digital dialing

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