Prof. Jan Sikora, Ph. D.

The Poznań University of Economics

Agnieszka Wartecka-Ważyńska, Ph. D.

University School of Physical Education  in Poznań

 

 

MAIL QUESTIONNAIRE IN SOCJOLOGY SURVEY

 

1. Introduction

 

            A society is a multi-group conglomerate of relations, connections and changes which the conglomerate undergoes. 

            Socjology as a social-study science, has developed a range of survey methods and techiques which help to find material to facilitate the analyses of processes and social structures (for example: observation, identity cards and  administrative documentations analysis, interviews, questionaires, socjometry)[1].

            Every survey method or technique used, which aims to find a complete and objective material, has both advantages and disadvantages. For this reason, it is worth remembering about the possible traps  waiting for scientists in empirical socjology (that one develops on a large scale)  with the use of various survey methods and techniques.

            Owing to the spreading popularity of Internet,  a mail questionnaire techique has recently been widely used as a poll method. Electronic mail (e-mail) has become a popular communication  method among those with Internet access. Information send via e-mail reaches a receiver within a couple of minutes, which is impossible in case of traditional mail. Scientists  looking for new methods and techniques to conduct empirical studies, treat electronic mail as an alternative survey technique to traditional mail and telephone survey. 

            The aim of this article is to provide with some critical comments on the use of survey as such, and the pros and cons of e-mail survey in empirical studies not only in socjology but also in marketing.

 

 

 

2. Critical Look on a Questionnaire [2]

 

            A questionnaire may destort the view of studied reality. For this reason, it cannot be the only source of collecting materials for socjology analysis and conclusions. It should rather complete collected materials by means of other survey methods.

            A diagnostic value of a questionnaire, which aims to set the basis and social interests of people examined with survey technique only, has always been a problematic issue. The value depends on the fact if,  and to what extend, the situation „here and now” of the examined people is close to real social situations, which the people get involved in.

־       Filling in a questionnare addressed to an anonymous receiver depends only on their goodwill and puts them in a situation that is far from actual social situations and active engagement in true social realia. 

־       Future behaviour in particular life situations cannot be forseen on the basis of anonymous answers. A diagnostic value of a given answer depends on a number of  unindentifiable social and subjective factors, which affect the answer. For example, it is impossible to determine from which social group and from which individual social role  a respondend gives answers to a questionnaire. Moreover, it is impossible to state which social systems of values determine particular answers. „A questionnaire addresses an individual who is presently not engaged in any real social process, due to the fact that they are filling in the questionnaire”.[3]

־       The indefiniteness of moments which condition questionaire answers is enhanced by the use of a representative survey trial. Conscious representatives of a society selected by a scientist (a representative trial), create temporary artificial group, which is nothing like a real-life society or situation. These para-society conditions, eliminated from normal society context, are a source of  answer indicators of  genuine (not artificial) social situations.

־       The choice of a representative trial itself, is questionable, since it is a mechanical drawing not proceeded by an analysis of examined group, membership selection and psycho-social types. It is enough to say that such a trial may fail to represent society and is likely to present a one-sided and destorted picture of reality. A survey trial needs proportionally to   include all basic social categories within an examined group as well as all psycho-social types. Prior and detailed interviews, observations and documentation of a group need to be done.

־       Scientists who use questionnaire techniques must remember that these are answered  only by a particular category of people and that most respondents have a negative or   ignorant attitude towards questionnaires and give  false answers on purpose.

־       A tendency has been observed, to collect direct empirical material by means of a questinnaire  by incompetent people, the so called „pollsters” with no theoretical and practical preparation in the use of survey techniques and methods.

The above critical notes on a questionnaire aim to present the inefficiency and dangers of a poor constructed questionnaire as well as poor critical interpretation of a questionnaire.

Regardless of the above drawbacks and insufficiency of a questionnaire technique in socjology and marketing research, it does have certain advantages. It is easy and fast to obtain  empirical data. A prevaling advantage of a questionnaire is that it facilitates numerical comparison of answers especially in case of closed alternatives in posed questions.

 

3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Mail Questionnaire.

 

            Developing world-wide empirical studies, in the field of social science, more often rely on a questionnaire technique (as well as a telephone interview). Collection of data by means of  an e-mail questionnaire is getting more and more popular. An electronic mail questionnaire is more effective in comparison with other survey techniques when it comes to information collection.    In this technique there is no need for an interviewer. Neverthelles, as every survey technique, a mail questionnaire has both pros and cons.[4]

 

The following are the greatest advantages:

־       Low costs. A questionnaire does not require a qualified team of interviewers. The costs are reduced to planning, processing and analyzing of data. Lower costs of a mail questionnaire are particularly visible in case of examining a group which is scattered  on a vast geographic territory.

־       Lowering of partiality error. Neither expectations nor individual characteristics of interviewers and their differentiated skills affect the answers.

־       Greater anonymity. An interviewer's absence accounts for the feeling of greater anonymity, provides with privacy and at the same time encourages a respondent to answer touchy and sensitive questions. 

־       Availability. A mail questionnaire allows for examining a large number of respondends within a relatively short time on a vast geographic territory.

־       Giving deliberate answers and consultation possibility. A mail questionnaire helps to give deliberate answers (not instant ones) and those that require personal identity cards, office documentation or consulting another person.

־       Possibility to fill in a questionnaire in convenient time for a respondent.

־       Possibility to familiarize with the sequence of questions prior to answering them. 

־       Visual impact on a respondent. A respondent perceives a questionnaire as a whole more by means of visual than audio senses. This facilitates the process of remembering them and giving more deliberate answers.

 

 

 

 

 

The following are the greatest disadvantages:

־        Requirement of simple questions. A mail questionnaire ought to have simple questions, which would be clearly understood and answered by every respondent.

־       Incomplete or incorrect answers may happen is some cases. Some questions may remain unanswered, which adversely affects the quality of findings.

־       Lack of control over the fact who gives the answers. A scientist has no possibility to control social environment of a respondent. For this reason, they remain uncertain if a questinnaire is being answered by an appointed person.

־       Lack of probing. Answers provided with in a mail questionnaire are the final ones. A scientist has no possibility to probe a respondent prior to final answers, clarification of the obscure ones or assesment of non-verbal behaviour.

־       Low percentage  of answers. A problematic issue of a mail questionnaire is the difficulty to obtain high percentage of answers. An average percentage of answers provided with in a direct questionnaire (conducted by pollsters) is circa 95%, whilst in case of a mail questionnaire it decreases to  20 - 40%.

Here amounts the problem to estimate the influence of lack of answers on ultimate findings and the generalisation process. People who do not answer mail questionnaires   usually differ from those who do answer them. As a rule, such people are: less educated , with problems to comprehend posed questions, elderly people or upwardly mobile people. These factors account for survey partiality.

In order to reduce the inefficiency and drawbacks of a mail questionnaire (with particular attention paid to low percentage of answers), scientists use a variety of incentives   targeted on a respondent. These are: addressing goodwill of a respondent and asking for help; awarding a respondent with a symbolic gift for taking part in a questionnaire; informing about publishing the results of a questionnaire in a professional  magazines; addressing altruistic attitude of a respondent and pesuading the importance of conducted survey

 

 

4. Conclusion

 

            Both traditional mail and e-mail questinnaires have become one of the most popular  techniques to obtain information in marketing, socjology and other social sciences.

            For further development of  empiric survey and the use of an electronic mail questionnaire it is vital to realize not only the advantages but, and  above all,  disadvantages of the technique. It is the disadvantages that finally determine a survey findings, which may destort the examined social reality.

            Worth remembering is also the methodology directive which says that the correction of destorted picture of tested social realia needs to be complemented with the findings of  another survey  technique. What needs to be emphasized, the directive is hardly ever used in developed empirical studies in social sciences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prof. Jan Sikora, Ph.D.

The Poznań University of Economics

Agnieszka Wartecka-Ważyńska, Ph.D.

University School of Physical Education  in Poznań

 

 

MAIL QUESTIONNAIRE IN SOCJOLOGY STUDY

(Summary)

 

            The wide use of an e-mail questionnaire in empirical studies, with emphasis on socjology and marketing  was presented in this article. Both advantages and disadvantages of this survey technique were highlighted altogether with the significance of  upgrading data collected by means of another survey techniques.

 


[1]       See, for example: . J. Lutyński, Metody badań społecznych, ŁTN, Łódź 1994; S. Nowak (red.), Metody badań socjologicznych. Wybór tekstów, PWN, Warszawa 1965; E. Babbie, Badania społeczne w praktyce, Wyd. Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2004.

[2]       In this part of study the following article was used „Niektóre uwagi krytyczne o ankietach” from Studia  socjologiczne, by T. Szczurkiewicz, PWN, Warszawa 1972.

[3]       Ibidem, p. 46.

[4]       See for example Ch. Frankfort-Nachmias, D. Nachmias, Metody badawcze w naukach społecznych, Wyd. Zysk i S-ka, Poznań 2001, and T.W. Mangione, Ankietowanie pocztowe w badaniach marketingowych i socjologicznych, Wyd. Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 1999.