Our group visited a variety of sites from two opposite ends of the survey spectrum. We looked at “serious” academically certified surveys that promised detailed descriptions based on the answers to the questions. On the flip side, we looked at surveys of a more inane nature (ie. what colour crayon are you?)
Some websites we visited:
http://ca.yourdestinyrevealed.com
Observations:
· many surveys ask for your cell phone number to text you the results. What about security/privacy, esp. in regard to 14 year old girls who love to take "love-life" surveys?
· do-it-yourself questionnaire: anyone can make a survey!
· just because it's a survey, it is automatically meaningful and believable
ð what fruit are you?
ð what colour crayon are you?
· pop up surveys - NO GOOD!
· career surveys seem more "serious" - longer and more complex questions
· PhD personality test - 4 pages (=too many!) I gave up after 1 page, Kevin completed all 4 pages only to find out that the 100 page report cost $29.95
ð does that mean this survey is more legitimate or serious?
ð because it's "PhD Certified" would people pay the money?
ð who would pay for that?
ð Later on, Kevin received emails with reduced prices for his results. Currently, they’ve brought the price down to the low low price of $9.95
· look at: sponsor links, question types (select 1 of 2 to ???; compare/contrast, etc.)
· what about magazine surveys?
· love life surveys targeted to a very young crowd ("bf/gf")
· quizzes/surveys you can paste to your blog and forward to all your friends
· feedback is always at the end
· group vs. individual surveys
· what is the goal? (figure out the process of the survey? Fun/entertainment/humour, make yourself feel better/worse)
2 comments:
I really like your observations on surveys. When you state "just because it's a survey, it is automatically meaningful and believable" is this something you believe or think that other people believe? Is there any evidence to support this? If a survey is thought to be meaningful how can you use that to affect people's behaviour?
Thank you!
I think our group consensus was that people believe surveys are automatically meaningful and believable. I don't think we personally feel that way. We recognize that surveys are just for fun.
As for evidence, the survey that Kevin and I did which was "Ph.D. certified" and cost $29.99 was a survey that we felt a lot of people would believe in, because there is obviously a market for selling the results.
If people see that a survey is "Ph.D. certified," they may be willing to give more information or even to purchase the results. Perhaps a survey like the one we saw would affect behaviour more than others simply for that reason!
--Marcia
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