Through a Q&A format designed to grab readers' attention, this thoroughly revised Sixth Edition gives voters everything they need to know about election polls. Traugott and Lavrakas cover the latest polling technologies and data collection methods, how polls are used in campaigns and by the media, and most importantly-why it all matters.
Through a Q&A format designed to grab readers' attention, this thoroughly revised Sixth Edition gives voters everything they need to know about election polls. Traugott and Lavrakas cover the latest polling technologies and data collection methods, how polls are used in campaigns and by the media, and most importantly-why it all matters.
To the uninformed, surveys appear to be an easy type of research to design and conduct, but when students and professionals delve deeper, they encounter the vast complexities that the range and practice of survey methods present. To complicate matters, technology has rapidly affected the way surveys can be conducted; today, surveys are conducted via cell phone, the Internet, email, interactive voice response, and other technology-based modes. Thus, students, researchers, and professionals need both a comprehensive understanding of these complexities and a revised set of tools to meet the challenges. In conjunction with top survey researchers around the world and with Nielsen Media Research serving as the corporate sponsor, the Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods presents state-of-the-art information and methodological examples from the field of survey research. Although there are other "how-to" guides and references texts on survey research, none is as comprehensive as this Encyclopedia, and none presents the material in such a focused and approachable manner. With more than 600 entries, this resource uses a Total Survey Error perspective that considers all aspects of possible survey error from a cost-benefit standpoint. Key Features Covers all major facets of survey research methodology, from selecting the sample design and the sampling frame, designing and pretesting the questionnaire, data collection, and data coding, to the thorny issues surrounding diminishing response rates, confidentiality, privacy, informed consent and other ethical issues, data weighting, and data analyses Presents a Reader's Guide to organize entries around themes or specific topics and easily guide users to areas of interest Offers cross-referenced terms, a brief listing of Further Readings, and stable Web site URLs following most entries The Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods is specifically written to appeal to beginning, intermediate, and advanced students, practitioners, researchers, consultants, and consumers of survey-based information.
The Impact of the National Citizens' Crime Prevention Media Campaign
This accessibly written book presents a case study of a major United States initiative aimed at increasing public awareness of how citizens can protect themselves and others from crime. It examines the development and content of the 14-year long campaign and evaluates its impact on the public. The state-of-the-art data presented from this extensive survey on the public's perceptions, attitudes and behaviours with respect to crime leads to the authors providing excellent recommendations for future campaigns.
The Impact of the National Citizens' Crime Prevention Media Campaign
This accessibly written book presents a case study of a major United States initiative aimed at increasing public awareness of how citizens can protect themselves and others from crime. It examines the development and content of the 14-year long campaign and evaluates its impact on the public. The state-of-the-art data presented from this extensive survey on the public's perceptions, attitudes and behaviours with respect to crime leads to the authors providing excellent recommendations for future campaigns.
What quality control methods can be used most effectively to structure and monitor interviews and convert refusals? What telephone numbers should be used in random digit dialling? How can eligible respondents be chosen and their cooperation secured? Addressing these and other survey issues, this book offers researchers a guide to thinking about and executing telephone surveys from generating phone numbers to structuring the work of interviewers and supervisors. New to this edition are a focus on the total survey error concept, a comparison of CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviews) with PAPI (paper and pencil inventory) procedures, mixed-mode surveys and new telecommunication technologies. In addition, the book covers such topics as how to control the sampling pool, how to identify appropriate respondents and how to improve on-the-job training of interviewers.