Spotlight A: four different types of survey

In Spotlight A, I talk about four different types of survey:

Four types of surveys illustrated: Descriptive, which gives you a number - or here percentages - that tell you something Comparative, illustrated by a line graph which reveals how the numbers are changing over time Modeling, illustrated by a series of linked lines representing factors that affect the outcome Exploratory, illustrated by a sailing ship, gathering whatever information it can. — Four types of surveys, Illustration by Tasia Graham

descriptive
comparative (also called tracker)
modelling
exploratory

This model was inspired by Robert Groves’ book Survey Errors and Survey Costs (Wiley, 2004)

Total Survey Error as a starting point

The Survey Octopus is my way of helping readers get to grips with one of the most important concepts in running and designing Surveys That Work: Total Survey Error. Among the early reading I did that led me to understand the importance of Total Error was an article by Paul J. Lavrakas: ‘Applying a Total Error Perspective for Improving Resarch Quality in the Social, Behavioral, and Marketing Sciences‘, (Public Opinion Quarterly, October 2013, 77(3): 831-850).