MY556      Half Unit
Survey Methodology

This information is for the 2025/26 session.

Course Convenor

Availability

Requisites

Additional requisites:

Knowledge of basic descriptive and inferential statistics, to the level of MY451/551 or equivalent.

This course provides a broad-based introduction to the design, implementation, and analysis of individual and household surveys. It is intended both for students who plan to design and collect their own surveys, and for those who need to understand and use data from existing large-scale surveys. Topics covered include defining target and survey populations, inference from sample to population, sampling error and nonsampling error; sample design and sampling theory; modes of data collection; web surveys; survey interviewing; cognitive processes in answering survey questions; design and evaluation of survey questions; deriving and applying survey weights; analysis of data from complex surveys; paradata and responsive designs; comparative and longitudinal surveys. The over-arching theoretical framework used to link the component parts of the course is the Total Survey Error framework. Theoretical concepts are illustrated with examples of diverse surveys from the UK and internationally. The course includes applied classes designing questionnaires using the software Qualtrics, question evaluation and cognitive interviewing and analysis of complex survey data using the statistical package Stata; no previous knowledge of Stata is required.

20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.
2 hours of lectures in the Spring Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.

Three formative pieces of coursework: Designing and evaluating a questionnaire, using the Total Survey Error Framework, and secondary analysis of complex survey data.

Groves, R M, Fowler, F J, Couper, M P, Lepkowski, J M, Singer, E, and
Tourangeau, R (2009). Survey Methodology (2nd ed.). Wiley.
Biemer, P. et al (2017) Total Survey Error in Practice. Wiley.
Tourangeau, R, Rips, L J, and Rasinski, K (2000). The Psychology of Survey Response. Cambridge University Press

Research project (100%)

Research paper of 3500 words maximum, focusing on concept definition, question design, assessment of the strengths and limitations of an existing survey drawing on the material covered in the course.