Introduction to Telephone Surveys

Despite all the potential and hype of the internet, telephone surveys are still one of the most common methods of survey research. Since being introduced in 1936, telephone survey methodology has established rigorous protocols and standards, which dictate the proper way to conduct these surveys. If these standards are carefully followed, administering a telephone survey to a random sample of a population provides data that can be generalized to the whole population.

Telephone surveys are still a common used method for public opinion polling and other research into the perceptions, attitudes or behaviors of the general public. It is also the method employed by the US government to monitor the health of the American population (the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey). With telephone surveys, researchers can control the location of the respondent, and “live” interviewing provides the option to probe and clarify responses. Telephone surveys are also common means of conducting business-to-business research. A “live” interviewer can readily confirm that the business respondent is properly qualified (or ask to speak to a respondent that is) and can persuade a reluctant participant to complete a survey. Other passive methods such as mail or internet surveys are not as effective at gaining participation from this group.

People have predicting the death of telephone surveys for the greater part of the decade. Response rates for telephone surveys have decreased dramatically over the past 25 years as phone technology (like caller ID) has allowed people to screen their calls. In addition, the National Do Not Call List has changed many people’s perceptions about receiving unsolicited calls on the telephone. Add in the fact that the number of households without a traditional landline has reached about a quarter of the population in the U.S., and it’s pretty clear why some people feel like the telephone survey is a dinosaur and the internet is a giant meteor.

But I doubt the telephone survey will disappear anytime soon. While the addition of cell-only households has increased the cost and complexity of telephone surveys, cell-only samples can be added as a component to a traditional phone survey. And while response rates are on the decline for phone surveys, internet survey response rates are downright atrocious in most cases.

So phone surveys still serve their purpose as a cost competitive way to do randomly sampled surveys of the general population and surveys where a list of email addresses is not easily obtained.

Pros of Telephone Survey

• Can yield information that is representative of a whole population with known probabilities of sample selection
• Allows probing and clarifying by interviewers to improve the content of the information gathered
• Nearly all people can be reached by telephone (especially if you include cell phones in your sampling frame).
• Despite their decline, response rates are usually higher for phone surveys than other types of surveys
• Interviewers can convince reluctant participants to complete a survey

Cons of Telephone Survey

• Typically more costly than mail or internet surveys
• Response rates and landline coverage on the decline
• Complex ideas or new concepts are difficult to explore over the phone
• Visual materials cannot be studied (one approach is to mail/email these prior to an interview)
• Respondents may answer questions on the phone to another person in a way that is socially desirable rather than truthful (especially with sensitive questions).
• Accuracy of data is subject to the quality of the interviewer (unless you are surveying using IVR