Engagement methods
Quantitative methods: surveys
Surveys can help you to numerically measure people's opinions. As long as the sample included in the survey is large enough and representative, it allows you to extrapolate the findings to the wider population. Surveys can be carried out by post, phone, face-to-face, or, increasingly, over the internet. They are about extracting information about individuals' opinions rather than creating a dialogue.
When to use
Surveys are useful when you need to accurately measure the views of a proportion of your users or the community about a range of issues. They also
allow information to be compared on a regular basis, thereby helping you to track trends and changes.
Strengths
- Enable you to gather reliable statistical information about people's opinions
- Allow for more objective and accurate analysis than is often the case with qualitative approaches
- Allow opinion to be tracked over time
Weaknesses
- Surveys are very good for measuring 'what' people say, they are often weaker on explaining 'why' people say it
- Good quality, reliable surveys can be expensive
- Are not about creating a dialogue with people
- Care must be taken to ensure that the survey sample is representative.
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