Surveys have been around for generations, yet when approached by a random individual to take a survey, most people would say no. This is because the modernization of society has resulted in companies profiting from selling the data acquired from conducted surveys. People, including myself, have become more skeptical of surveys also because, with all this technology, we are constantly being sold something, and have trouble “to know what is legitimate and what is just an attempt to sell them something.” However, as reported in the New York Times article, “Why People Hate Taking Surveys,” a “Transparency Initiative” was created in order to bring back the faith in surveys by creating more standards and regulations must follow in surveying. But whether these are actually followed or have helped build trust back in surveyors.

Through research I conducted myself and articles that I have read, surveying is better than traditional research methods because of how technological our society has become. Nowadays, with online surveys, individuals can just click on a link and respond to questions in real-time. Especially, with programs such as Google Forms, the resulting data is automatically organized and compiled based on the answers received, ultimately saving steps and time that would be needed to interpret and go through the data. Conducting research through online surveys is also a notably less expensive process as well because there is a greater reach in less time. Another aspect of online surveys that prove they may provide more accurate information because some individuals may feel more comfortable being more specific or answering questions more truthfully anonymously through their phone or computer rather than in a face-to-face interview because of the fear of experiencing judgment from others.

What is also interesting about the impact of surveys, is because of technological advancements, people all over the world of different cultures will be able to respond rather than research conducted by word of mouth which allows for more opinions and perspectives to be represented. That is the beauty of surveys. Everyone has different world views because of the environment they grew up in and what resources they had access to and so on, therefore, different topics matter to different people. Overall, their more pros than cons of surveys because of how much easier it is to get more people to participate in the study and therefore, gather more information on more demographics than traditional research methods.

For example, when looking at the issue of the wage gap: this is an issue which may be more important and concerning for women because they are the ones that are receiving the short end of the stick in that situation, whereas men are being paid the wages and receiving the promotions that women deserve just as much. An individual’s race also plays into the importance of certain social issues over others. For example, bringing the previous example of the wage gap further, Kimberle Crenshaw’s concept of intersectionality, women of color are even further oppressed and receive even fewer wages and promotions than a woman of caucasian background. Therefore, women of color may find the wage gap even more pressing than caucasian women might.

References:

1. “Online Surveys versus Traditional Market Research.” Online Surveys compared with Traditional Market Research. Accessed February 6, 2020. http://www.marketingmindsresearch.com/case_study.html.
2. Thee-brenan, Megan. “Why People Hate Taking Surveys.” The New York Times. The New York Times, June 5, 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/06/upshot/why-people-hate-taking-surveys.html.