Introduction to Sociology

Participants do not know they are part of a study

Check your answers at the end of this document

THINK IT OVER

• 
  What type of data do surveys gather? For what topics would surveys be the best research method? What drawbacks might you expect to encounter when using a survey? To explore further, ask a research question and write a hypothesis. Then create a survey of about six questions relevant to the topic. Provide a rationale for each question. Now define your population and create a plan for recruiting a random sample and administering the survey.
  

Supplemental Section –
Differentiating Between Qualitative and Quantitative Surveys

Above is a photograph of a census taker helping to conduct the population survey of 1940.
Every ten years the United States Department of Commerce conducts the United States Census, a population survey that aids in government planning.
This is important information because the federal government uses it to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and to distribute crucial infrastructure funds for things like schools, hospitals, roads, and public works.
In addition to counting individuals, families, and groups within their residences, towns, and states, the census also collects data on the sex, race, and age of each person. 
Slide 2




As this image suggests, the US Census is a kind of roll call that counts individuals and groups where they live and that categorizes them based on sex, race, and gender. This information can then be tabulated to help the US Census Bureau create a more accurate, updated map of America's demographics.
Given this methodology and purpose, would the census best be described as a 

1. 
   Qualitative survey 
   
2. 
   Quantitative survey 
   

Answer: Quantitative survey. Correct! Remember that a quantitative survey collects research in numerical form that can be counted. It is objective and does not pose questions that require interpretation or evaluation on the part of respondents. 

Slide 3

The Census Bureau also collects information on educational attainment, which is defined as the highest level of education that an individual has completed.
If a sociologist wanted to build on this demographic information to understand why individuals chose the majors they did, or what they thought the value of a given field of study might be, that sociologist would now be conducting a 

1. 
   Quantitative survey 
   
2. 
   Qualitative survey 
   

Answer: Qualitative survey. Correct! Remember that a qualitative survey collects subjective results which are difficult to tabulate. It poses questions that typically require interpretive or evaluative responses which reflect the social norms understood by respondents. This type of research provides rich material for sociologists. In our example, we could potentially learn a lot about how particular fields of study are valued at this moment in American culture.