Surveys on products from the market

Within the implementation of the opinion polls to marketing and market research prominently occupy surveys on products.
A survey of product, as part of a plan of marketing of a company or a more general market study, usually only one cog in the processes of research and decision-making process of a company, but they can - of course - be analysed separately.
We will mention some common survey carrying out market research on products sold.

• Pilot surveys on new products. Here, there are innumerable variants, some of which are true social experiments, and which can be combined with the display, tasting, etc. of products as well as quantitative studies.


• Surveys on the concept of a service, product: meaning, social representations to generate conscious and unconscious associations.


• Brand-product surveys: new marcas-producto, variations in branding or analysis of changes in the perception of the consumer of a brand-product.


• Surveys on acceptability of products: new products, variations on the same product.


• Surveys on packaging: the presentation changes, changes in content, slogans, in the amount of product. They can be of acceptability or preliminary investigation of changes in packaging, or changes in course.


• Survey on marks independently of products and his names. Surveys about products or services: marks internet, naming, slogans, social representations of consumers and customers linked to the product.


• Surveys on sales and distribution: on the structure of the sale of the product, on points of sale, how to sell it.

These are some typical ways in which surveys public - not, but customers, users or consumers of products - can be used in research of market or marketing products.

Surveys and accidental sampling

Opinion polls carried out by accidental sampling of the survey is not random.

Accidental sampling are characterized method is selected without the person being surveyed, cases are chosen to have at hand.

Examples of accidental sample surveys are what make the radio and television journalists.

These surveys are not representative and can never know how reliable the sample is selected.

As a research about public opinion is unreliable.

Provided that presents the opinion of the way we run a double risk of having a biased sample.

First, as the sample is casual, may not be at all representative, and even that interested people try to be surveyed.

In that case, the bias of the sample increases.

But secondly, if the survey is planned or executed from a media or institution with a clear profile or defined interests, who agree to be interviewed by such means shall be persons of similar ideological.

An example of this is the surveys of online newspapers, where readers vote who they are, a universe is clearly not representative.

A definition of survey

We discuss the definition of "survey" that provides the academic Manuel Garcia Ferrando (1992:141), who says:

"The survey is a technique that utilza a set of standardized research procedures by which collects and analyzes a series of data from a sample of cases representative of the wider population or universe, of which aims to explore, describe, predict and or explain a number of characteristics. "

Here García Ferrando is very ambiguous to use words like "method" and "procedures."

The author defines survey as a method or quantitative research, which in turn can use different "standard procedures", which actually means data recording techniques subordinates to research.

It is highly questionable whether the survey to predict, because the investigation is complex but never based on final data from more than one time in a reality of dynamic phenomena and causes by many variables.

There is no epistemological justification for claiming that a survey to predict, since in any case, should be a highly confirmed theory that allows predictions or forecasts in science.
Unless, of course, to pursue practical or political objectives.

Survey and research and as an instrument of data collection.

One of the difficulties of providing a definition of what a survey is, first, a survey called two different things in the investigation.

Survey is called the method or technique to relieve data using an instrument such as the questionnaire and survey procedure is called to make a quantitative social research using a questionnaire.

It may seem the same but it is not. If a researcher wants to supplement a social study of public opinion or qualitative data and is a project developed with defined assumptions and other data already obtained, in that case if it decides to conduct a survey is merely using a data record.

In this respect the survey is similar to a camera or microscope, bridging the gap.

However, if the investigator made another quantitative study from scratch, and should pose variables, defining units of analysis, sample design, develop scales to measure attitudes, determining a permissible error, and a questionnaire survey may call the whole investigation.

Opinion Surveys or Opinion Polls?

There is an ambiguity about whether we should speak of opinion surveys or opinion polls either.
That is, if both terms are synonymous.
But in reality they are not, because although what defines an opinion poll is correct when predicated of an opinion poll, the converse does not hold.
A poll is a survey research, but social. In contrast, a sample survey can be done to obtain information about the behavior of the stars or the characteristics of books in a library.
In other words, there are surveys that are not of opinion, while no research surveys that are not polls, agreed to call for polls to quantitative studies through surveys.
Although it is possible to do an opinion poll.
Moreover, "survey" is called to the technique of data collection, but also the result of completing a questionnaire.
Issues to be considered not to confuse the meanings and know well what is spoken.

As conceived opinion survey

As conceived opinion survey

When planning or designing an opinion survey is essential to note here:
1) choose the universe to be surveyed
2) define the statistical unit or unit of analysis Stats
3) collect information to organize the opinion survey, classify and organize
4) choose the method or data collection technique, the type of survey (individual, personal, phone, email)
5) choosing the sampling method (random, quota, cluster, etc.).
6) define the variables to be analyzed and the type of statistical analysis will be done with data from questionnaires
7) establish the sample size
8) define a sampling error according to relevant factors such as budget, time and type of sampling design
9) establish the economic cost of the survey and total execution time of the investigation
10) organize the field work calendar, staff and resources.

The types of survey: individual survey

There are, strictly speaking, various types of opinion polls and attitudes registration.
But if we analyze the different types of surveys in processes for the collection of data we can distinguish three major types of survey: staff survey, the self-administered survey and telephone survey.
From now on, we must clarify, we are talking about surveys that apply to people or survey investigating the opinions and attitudes of individuals.
Discussed in this post the individual survey.

INDIVIDUAL SURVEY

The personal interview is the best known of the three types, and today almost no one living in urban centers has not been sought to answer some.
This is a typical face-to-face survey.
In this type of survey requires a team of trained interviewers who, after receiving an instruction concerning the nature of the survey, how to administer the questionnaire, some problems with certain questions, how to access the survey, should contact the persons elected to be interviewed.
Sometimes when it is a multistage sample survey, the last stage, which involves selecting people who have to answer, is undertaken by the interviewer.
At other times, however, already has the address and name of the person, as when performed on a standard sample, eg a professional society.
It is the task of the interviewer approached the respondent with a structured or semi-structured questionnaire, or with any questions closed or open and closed questions (discuss this later).
One of the methodological issues is often not sufficiently appreciated is that all questions must be made strictly in the order they appear in the questionnaire, in the same tone and, above all, without adding or omitting anything, even a comma in the text survey questionnaire.
This ensures the objectivity of the results from the application of the same stimulus to all respondents. Let's be clear, as always, that these considerations are made on the assumption that the questionnaire is objective and is built by professionals, that the questions measure what they purport to measure, and so on.
Some types of personal opinion polls are coincidental survey, the survey at random or random (or which includes, as recorded at a final stage of sampling a random selection process) and survey fees.
The coincidental survey is a type of non-probability sampling (later we will analyze it), or a sample in which no one knows the error of estimate (we'll explain later) or error resulting from the spread of the sample data population. In the survey, the interviewer takes coincidental random people in a busy city and survey.
It's that simple, as they make bad journalists and pollsters (and political operatives, why deny it), although some research may be used responsibly. In the survey at random or random pollster has a table of random numbers that tells you based on the number of questionnaires to be completed, for example, which household member should interview and may in some cases replace him in case of absence for an individual of the same sex and similar socioeconomic level and age.
Finally, the quota sampling is one in which the interviewer and out of the office of the institute or consultancy or agency with a guideline on how many men interviewed, a few women, what ages, what you already know what you want and crossing is going as the respondent.
As can be seen, the random survey individual may lead to the replacement of absent or rejecting entevistado a fee.

Opinion polls: history and some methodological details

Opinion polls are not, in fact nothing but a way of investigating. In particular, are a method, or a set of methods or techniques, aimed at collecting information about some aspect of social reality. Properly understood, then as a research strategy of social phenomena, the poll is fairly recent, then use systematic and controlled (and successful) dates from the interwar period of the twentieth century.
The practical reasons that led to its development (something quick) and implementation were, naturally, in war, economic and largely related to the profound social and political changes that were operated on is this particular period. However, beyond the needs of specific practices that gave rise, the survey would not have been possible without the theoretical and methodological developments that support and, previously, had not taken place. As noted, the survey is provided, among other things, the application of certain mathematical procedures to obtain information on social reality. Here it should be noted the importance of American sociology, as embodied in major theorists and researchers such as Paul Lazarsfeld and the famous George Gallup.
In the next posting will show how, in the American case in particular, individual ballots and certain developments in social psychology set the stage, so to speak, the emergence of the survey, the opinion poll as we know it today, meaning a tool of public record.
Let us note finally that, as background music for all these reasons and background, there has always been associated with research through opinion polls what Karl Popper called the old dream of prophecy: the desire to know what happen. It is not necessary to know what a survey or to properly take this factor into account, but if we arrive at an understanding of the case, it should not be olivdar.
Many are those who do not mind, and many people mistakenly believe have achieved.

Opinion Polls and mathematics

Opinion surveys and mathematics.
Sample surveys are the application in a specific area of certain mathematical, in particular of some of the mathematical theory of probabilities procedures or statistical mathematical research.
This are some assumptions based on the assumption that certain operations can be performed with numbers can perform when mathematics no longer pure and becomes applied and represents aspects of social reality.
Made them, is supposed to be possible to measure a specific social aspect, the intensity of the positive image of such candidate, or measure the views in favour, against and indifferent about a specific problem.
Is that the applicability of the procedure of the survey is based on accepted an isomorphism between mathematical properties and properties of social phenomena. Once assumed this, you can use methods and techniques (sample, designs for example) appropriate to establish which is the best way to learn about a certain aspect under investigation.
These methods are standardized and validated, as they are all scientific procedures procedures. It is important to remember that a survey seriously is apply a background of theoretical and methodological knowledge to a social research.

Polietapic sample desing

What is a polietapic sample design?
A sample design polietápico is a type of design research project to collect data from a survey which is divided into various stages of planning and implementation.
These stages cover various criteria that are deployed to reach the final sample, or to individuals that will finally answered the survey.
Let us remember that a sample is a part of a specific population or universe (e.g. a country or a city citizens) is selected to obtain information that will be generalized to the whole population with some margin of error.
As a result, when according to rigorous methodological guidelines, the sample will be representative of this population.
To make this happen, the universe will be successively divided according to different criteria to reach the people you select.
For example may split the provinces or States of a country and select some rightly gaming, dodging, and then in selected provinces applied with a proportionality to the population parameters selection criterion.
If there are 10% of high socio-economic level in the population, determining the sample shall be about that value.

Opinion surveys

Opinion surveys
Surveys of public opinion and policy surveys.
Methodology, theory and analysis of public opinion polls.