Course

A systematic approach to understanding trade-offs when designing and remodelling social surveys

This training course is in partnership with the National Centre for Research Methods

Event time:

28th November 2023 09:15 – 29th November 2023 12:30
Format:

online

Course Details

In this course, we outline a comprehensive framework for understanding the trade-offs involved in designing and remodelling social surveys. Our framework is rooted in the Total Survey Error and Total Survey Quality approaches, balancing the need to reduce sources of error against the constraints of a project, time, and costs. Through real-life examples and case studies, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different research designs, with a focus on mixed-mode surveys, and the key steps involved in making informed decisions and remodelling surveys.

The course covers:

Theoretical frameworks and their applications in optimal survey design
The risks of measurement and selection effects
Advantages and disadvantages of various research designs, with a focus on mixed-mode surveys
Trade-offs in designing and remodelling social surveys
Key steps in making informed decisions when designing and remodelling surveys

By the end of the course participants will:

Be familiar with the application of the Total Survey Error and Total Quality frameworks for optimal survey design
Improve their research design skills and their ability to evaluate and critique existing designs
Have a better knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of different research designs, with a focus on mixed-mode surveys
Understand the trade-offs involved in designing and remodelling social surveys
Understand the key steps involved in designing and remodelling social surveys

Course Timings

This course will be delivered over two consecutive days from 0915 to 1230 on both days.

For charging purposes, this two half day course, will be charged at one full day rate.

Pre-requisites

No preparatory reading required. If participants would like to get some familiarity with some of the topics covered in the course, they could review the following:

Biemer, P.P. (2010). Total Survey Error: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation. Public Opinion Quarterly, 74(5), 817-848. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfq058

Christie, S. & Cornick, P. (2022). Remodelling social surveys. Trade-offs and opportunities. City-ESS HQ-NatCen survey methodology seminar series. https://youtu.be/pHr257x0vGA

Cornick, P. (2020). The NatCen REMoDEL Approach. NatCen Social Research. https://www.natcen.ac.uk/media/2211642/REMoDEL-Approach.pdf

De Leeuw, E.D. (2018). Mixed-Mode: Past, Present, and Future. Survey Research Methods, 12(2), 75–89. https://doi.org/10.18148/srm/2018.v12i2.7402

De Leeuw, E. & Elevelt (2020). Mixed Mode and Mixed Device Surveys: Why, When, and How. WAPOR Webinar. https://wapor.org/resources/wapor-webinars/webinar-july-2020/

Speakers

Shane Howe

Research Director

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Shane Howe is a Research Director based in the Centre for Social Survey Transformation. His experience focuses on quantitative methods with an emphasis on survey and questionnaire design. He has worked on several large-scale cross-sectional household surveys, including the English Housing Survey, Taking Part and British Social Attitudes.

He has recently been part of several projects which aim to understand the impact of shifting modes on survey data and minimise disruption to trend series data. Recently he has helped to transition the British Social Attitudes questionnaire from face-to-face data collection to online and telephone assisted interviewing. In addition to this, he has also played a leading role in developing the National Travel Attitudes Study, a multi-mode panel study on behalf of the Department for Transport, using both web and telephone interviews.

Shane’s main interests reside in questionnaire design and improving the user experience for respondents in a self-completion environment.
Eva Aizpurua

Research Director

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Eva Aizpurua, PhD, is an experienced survey methodologist with a broad range of experience across academia, the private sector, and non-profit organizations. As a Research Director at NatCen, she focuses on developing optimal designs for social surveys undergoing remodelling. Previously, Eva worked as a Research Scientist on the Demography & Survey Science team at Meta. She has also held Research Fellow positions at the European Social Survey Headquarters and Trinity College Dublin, and was a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Northern Iowa. Eva currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief for Survey Practice.