Online Surveys

Surveys are a method of social research that provides a structured or systematic set of data from a number of cases. Surveys are used when researchers seek to construct descriptors of various attributes of larger populations. These descriptors can be related to attitudes, behaviors, or values and are developed by asking respondents open- and closed-ended questions. Survey research can be carried out in face-to-face or telephone interviews, or via postal or Web-based questionnaires.

This entry focuses on self-completion online questionnaires, or online surveys (also referred to as Web surveys or Internet surveys). There has been considerable growth in the number and range of social surveys being administered online. Online surveys can be administered in one of two ways: via e-mail, where the questionnaire is sent to ...