Surveys are designed to collect a wide range of information about a population. They can be based on questionnaires and/or interviews (individual/group/telephone/email interviews). The focus tends to be on quantitative data, which is usually analyzed using statistical methods. The qualitative information is used to interpret the quantitative results. Surveys generally consist of three different phases or steps.

HOW TO CONDUCT SURVEYS:

Survey draft
Formulate the questions you want to answer with the survey. This can be in the form of a hypothesis that the survey will either prove or disprove. Choose variables (any characteristic that can vary) that will allow you to answer the question. Develop methods to collect information about the variables. You can take physical measurements, conduct interviews, or distribute a questionnaire. In the latter, everyone is asked the same question in the same way so that answers can be compared (see M&E Tool #3 Questionnaires). Remember to translate questionnaires/guidelines for interviewers. You will most likely be working with a sample of the population (think representativeness and random sampling). Plan data collection according to the selected population sample. Think about transportation, accommodation, and a schedule for your team. Consider respondents' daily routines to determine the best time to collect data.

Data collection
You need to train people to collect data (surveyors) and appoint supervisors for these people. Create guidelines to ensure consistency, avoid bias, etc. Conduct the survey in a small group and modify methods/content as needed. Data is then collected from the sample by surveyors and supervisors.

Data analysis
After the data is collected, compiled, and reviewed, it is analyzed. Data collected using quantitative methods can be statistically analyzed to yield averages, ratios, ranges between minimum and maximum values, and statistically significant differences. This "hard" data is often considered accurate and objective, but questions of bias, reliability, and validity remain. If the methods used to collect the data were not consistent, the results will not be valid.

WHEN SHOULD SURVEYS BE USED?

Surveys can be used in the analysis, planning, and review phases of the development process. Because they provide accurate and precise data, they can be used to establish baseline information in the planning phase that can later be used to evaluate impacts. As part of the evaluation, you would revisit the baseline information and conduct a similar survey to compare “then and now,” or you would use the baseline information generated as a starting point for discussions about impacts and changes using other tools. A survey can be used for evaluation to identify key differences and relationships in the characteristics of a population and to find out how different population groups were affected by the project/program. If an initial survey was not used to generate baseline data, an evaluation survey can still be conducted and the “before” information can be generated using respondent recall and other techniques. Repeated surveys can be used to measure changes in a population over time—this is useful for monitoring the impact of a program or to identify significant changes in selected population groups.

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