Types of survey

There are three principal types of survey that are divided in relation to the way of asking.

1.       Face to face survey

Consists in personal interviews with each respondent. They have the advantage of being controlled and guided by the interviewer. It also usually provides more information than other methods (phone and email). The principal disadvantages are the time it takes to collect data and the very expensive costs.

2.       Telephone Survey

This type of survey involves a telephone interview with each respondent. Some of the advantages are : 1) It can cover a large number of people in less time than the personal interview, 2) their costs are often lower and 3) It is easily administered (today, there are specialized softwares for managing telephone surveys. However, the principal disadvantage is that the interviewer has minimal control over the interview.

3.       Internet Survey

This type of survey consists in placing a questionnaire on a website or send emails to a predefined panel. Some advantages of this method are: 1 ) the extensive coverage we can get (even thousands of respondents in several countries and at the same time), 2 ) saving time, low costs and the use of audiovisual media during the survey. Some disadvantages are: you can not always verify the identity of the respondent.