Learn about focus groups on Friday, June 25, 10 a.m.-noon. Jim Peterson and Deborah Bartz will share their expertise during an experiential workshop at the Greater Kalamazoo United Way (709 S. Westnedge Avenue). Anyone is welcome, and there is no charge. Participation will be limited to the first 40 persons who call to reserve a seat. Call Patricia Hamilton at (616) 343-2524.

Have you ever thought a survey might be the best way to get feedback on your program? James C. Peterson, Ph.D., of WMU advises using a survey only if your situation meets the following five criteria:

• The needed information cannot be obtained from another source, such as existing records;
• Potential respondents can be located and induced to participate;
• Potential respondents are likely to have the needed information;
• Questions about current opinions and attitudes will be central to the survey, not behavior or recollections from the past;
• Any questions about behavior can be constructed to manage problems of prestige bias and embarrassment.

1. The face-to-face interview frequently results in high response rates, allows for the longest available time, and is the most flexible approach. Unfortunately, it is expensive, supervision of the interviewer is difficult, and interviewer bias may arise. The interview script must include questions read aloud, and instructions that reduce the chance of the interviewer making a mistake.



2. Mailed surveys can effectively elicit information. Respondents feel less intimidated about giving information because they are not talking to another person. Mailed surveys are researcher-friendly because of the low cost per questionnaire. Interviewer bias is absent, and questions can be more complex than in a phone or face-to-face interview. Weaknesses are low response rates, lack of opportunity to probe, and a long timeline. It may take 4-6 weeks to collect data, taking into account the need for follow-ups due to inadequate response rate.



3. The telephone survey is the most common survey method. Unfortunately, minorities and males are underrepresented in responding households. In addition, approximately 28% of the population has an unlisted phone number. A telephone survey is a quick means of collecting data, supervision of interviewers is easy, and response rates are good. On the downside, the survey must be quite short, questions must be simple, and the scales/choices must be easy to remember. Potential respondents may fear the call is from a telemarketer, and use their Caller I.D. and/or answering machine to screen out the call.

What if:

• everyone answers questions in the same manner (no variation in opinion)?
• many questions are left blank? This may result from too many open-ended questions, badly worded questions, or respondents without enough information to give an opinion.
• questions are ambiguous and answers don't fit together?
• some respondents are offended by an item and quit answering questions?
• you are left with hundreds of unique answers to open-ended questions and can't make sense of them?

"We thought that for many families, one-time financial assistance was not enough to help families stabilize their housing situations, but didn't know that for certain until we started tracking outcomes. We found that after 3 months, 44% of the households receiving a financial grant alone were behind in their rent, about to be evicted, or had lost their housing. Of the families receiving additional housing subsidies and supportive services, over 90% have maintained stable housing. As a result of our outcome-based evaluation, we can justify making on-going housing subsidies and supportive services our focus."

--Ellen Kissinger-Rothi
  Housing Resources, Inc.

Czaja, R. and Blair, J. (1996). Designing Surveys: A Guide to Decisions and Procedures. Thousand Oaks CA: Pineforge Press.

Sudman, S. and Bradburn, N. (1982). Asking Questions: A Practical Guide to Questionnaire Design. San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass.

SPSS, a data analysis software firm, has many useful articles on survey research at www.spss.com/newsltrs/kw

• Everyone’s  responsibility
• Continually asking good questions, getting answers, and taking action based on those answers
• Integrated into the day-to-day operations of the organization
• A developmental process
• Collaborative and dependent on information sharing
• Time well spent
• Going to ensure the organization’s health and viability in the long run in a changing environment