Opinion Survey

TL;DR

• A research method for collecting people’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to inform decisions.
• Conducted online (web-based tools) or offline (paper or telephone), each with practical trade-offs.
• Subject to sampling, self-selection, and response biases; careful design and representative sampling help reduce these issues.

Definition

An opinion survey is a research method used to gather information about people’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. It is a way for businesses, governments, and other organizations to gather data about their target audience and make informed decisions based on that data.

Explanation

Opinion surveys are typically carried out in two main formats:

• Online opinion surveys are conducted through web-based survey tools such as Google Forms or SurveyMonkey. These surveys are relatively easy to create and distribute and can reach a large audience quickly.
• Offline opinion surveys are conducted using paper or telephone surveys. They are often used for more in-depth research because they allow for more detailed questions and longer responses.

When designed and analyzed carefully, opinion surveys enable organizations to gather information about target audiences and inform decision-making.

Examples

Online example — Customer satisfaction survey

A company may send out an online survey to all of their customers asking for feedback on their products or services. The survey might ask questions about the customer’s experience with the company, the quality of the products or services, and the overall satisfaction with the company. This information can help the company improve their products or services and increase customer satisfaction.

Offline example — Political poll

A political organization may conduct a telephone survey asking questions about people’s views on a particular political issue or candidate. The survey might ask questions about the respondent’s political party affiliation, their views on specific policy issues, and their likelihood of voting in an upcoming election. This information can help the organization understand the opinions of their target audience and better tailor their messaging and campaign strategy.

Use cases

• Gathering customer satisfaction data for businesses.
• Measuring political opinions for organizations conducting polls.
• Collecting target-audience attitudes and beliefs for businesses, governments, and other organizations to inform decisions.

Notes or pitfalls

• Sampling bias: The sample of surveyed people may not accurately represent the larger population (for example, an online survey only distributed to people who previously interacted with a company).
  • Mitigation: Use a diverse and representative sample and consider potential biases in survey design and analysis.
• Self-selection bias: Occurs when people choose to participate in a survey, potentially producing a biased sample.
  • Mitigation: Use representative sampling methods and account for self-selection in analysis when possible.
• Response bias: Respondents may provide inaccurate or dishonest answers (for reasons such as a desire to please the surveyor or lack of knowledge).
  • Mitigation: Use clear and unbiased questions and ensure respondents understand the purpose of the survey.

Related terms

• Online opinion survey
• Offline opinion survey
• Web-based survey tools (Google Forms, SurveyMonkey)
• Customer satisfaction survey
• Political poll
• Sampling bias
• Self-selection bias
• Response bias