Surveys

Although terminology and usage varies within and across domains, a survey is generally understood to be a form of data collection that relies on self-reported responses to a previously prepared set of questions. Self-report requires respondents to introspect (i.e., look inside themselves to gain an understanding of their own thoughts and feelings) and then provide a response to the survey question. Questions can cover a variety of topics, including past or present behavior (e.g., number of hours watching television in the past week), intentions for the future (e.g., intention to watch television in the next week), self-perceptions and other thoughts (e.g., attitudes toward watching television), and perceptions of others (e.g., how many hours friends spend watching television each week). Even though some surveys are as ...