Surveys Most Extension programs are designed to alter participant awareness, knowledge, attitudes, or aspirations, often with the intent of producing subsequent changes in behavior. However, Extension professionals need accurate, reliable methods for identifying client needs and/or measuring changes that occur due to activities in the program. One method for collecting this type of data is surveys. Self-reported information is at the heart of the survey process. Client self-reports can be designed to capture either quantitative data (i.e., frequencies, averages, demographics, or variability in responses) or qualitative responses (i.e., success stories, explanations of problems, or personal insights). Quantitative data are commonly collected from clients using questions where an answer is selected from a provided list. Qualitative data may either be gathered from questions that ask survey takers to provide a detailed response or through a different qualitative collection method (such as focus groups or interviews). Regardless of method type, a survey’s main goal is to ask individuals to provide answers to a set of questions and to then record those responses in a meaningful way (Vogt, Gardner, & Haeffele, 2012). When deciding whether a survey is the proper tool for capturing the desired information, the main question to ask is “What am I trying to find out?” (Vogt et al., 2012). Best obtained with a survey: Are you trying to… ● discover what happened, how often it happened, and to what extent it happened? e.g., How often do you (as a homeowner) water your lawn? ● obtain responses to structured, short-answer questions? e.g., What is the process you use to water your lawn? ● obtain data and information that are fairly easy for respondents to recall or create? e.g., How many years have you lived in your current home? For a comprehensive resource on surveys, read the entire Saavy Survey Series at: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_series_savvy_survey Design Methods Extension educators want surveys that will produce high-quality responses from a large quantity of respondents. Dillman et al. (2014) developed a survey methodology that promotes the features necessary for generating both quality and quantity in responses. This methodology is referred to as the Tailored Design Survey Methodology (TDSM) . The tailored design method is based around three fundamental concepts: error reduction, survey procedure construction, and positive social exchange (Dillman et al., 2014).
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