Public health survey research is a critical tool for understanding the health of populations and identifying interventions to improve population health. When done well, public health surveys can provide valuable information on the prevalence of diseases and risk factors, access to healthcare and other determinants of health, as well as people's attitudes and beliefs about their own health. In this blog post, we will discuss best practices for designing and conducting public health surveys.
It is important to consider the purpose of a survey before beginning the design process. A well-defined goal will help guide survey questions and provide clarity on what information needs to be collected. Establishing clear objectives for a survey helps ensure that data collection focuses on relevant topics and produces reliable results.
In addition, it is important to consider the population of interest for the survey. It is important to identify a representative sample of the target population in order to accurately reflect the opinions and behaviors of that group. Developing a sampling frame, or list of potential respondents, will help ensure that data collectors can reach out to all members of the target population.
Once a purpose and target population have been determined, the survey design process can begin. This involves creating a set of survey questions that will effectively collect the data needed to answer the research objectives. The questions should be clear, concise and easy to understand in order to avoid confusion among respondents. In addition, it is important to consider how each question relates to the overall goal.
The following advice comes from a combination of experience, training, and resources from Qualtrics, Survey Monkey, and The Pew Research Center.
When designing a survey, it is important to consider the following elements:
Questions should be structured in an organized manner that allows respondents to easily follow and understand the survey. Questions can be closed-ended (with a pre-set selection of responses) or open-ended (where respondents write their out answers out). Each collects its own kind of data and are good for different things.
Open-ended questions provide qualitative data and feedback. They are reliable and robust but require more labor to analyze and lead to survey fatigue quicker, so it's best to limit them.
Closed-ended questions provide quantitative data and are easy for respondents to answer. There are several types of closed-ended questions you can ask:
multiple choice (where respondents pick one option from a list)
multi-select (where respondents can pick multiple options from a list)
ranking order
scale questions (these are good alternatives to yes/no questions because they measure direction and intensity)
Questions should be worded in a neutral, unbiased way that allows respondents to freely share their opinions without leading them to an answer. Don't add extra description, just get to your questions.
Keep questions concise and unambiguous to avoid confusion. Avoid using jargon or overly technical language.
Consider if your target audience speaks English as a first language, or what education level is appropriate for them.
Make sure that each question only asks one question.
Avoid absolutes like "always" or "never."
For scale questions, balance choices (e.g. have the same number of "agree" variations as "disagree" variations)
The amount of time required to complete a survey is an important factor to consider. Too many questions or overly long questions can lead to respondent fatigue and may result in inaccurate responses.
Finally, it is important to test the survey before launching it. This allows researchers to evaluate the clarity of the questions and identify any potential issues with the design or structure. Testing should involve both members of the target population and others who may be unfamiliar with the survey topic.
By following these best practices, researchers can ensure that their surveys are clear, concise and effective in collecting the information needed to answer research objectives. With careful planning, public health surveys can provide valuable insight into people's attitudes and behaviors related to their health.