What are the best practices for surveying a diverse population?

2 Choose your mode

There are different ways to administer a survey, such as online, phone, mail, or face-to-face. Each mode has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on your budget, time, and target population. For example, online surveys are convenient, cost-effective, and easy to distribute, but they may exclude some groups that have limited access to the internet or digital skills. Phone surveys are more personal and interactive, but they may suffer from low response rates and interviewer effects. Mail surveys are more accessible and anonymous, but they are slow and prone to errors. Face-to-face surveys are more engaging and flexible, but they are expensive and require trained staff. You should consider the pros and cons of each mode and choose the one that best suits your objectives and population.

3 Design your questions

The quality of your survey questions is crucial for obtaining valid and reliable data. You should follow some general principles, such as using simple and clear language, avoiding jargon and acronyms, avoiding leading or loaded questions, using consistent and balanced scales, and providing enough options and categories. Moreover, you should also pay attention to the cultural and linguistic diversity of your population and adapt your questions accordingly. For example, you should use inclusive and respectful terms, avoid assumptions or stereotypes, use appropriate translations or adaptations, and test your questions for clarity and comprehension.

5 Analyze your data

Once you have collected your survey data, you need to analyze them to extract meaningful and actionable insights. There are different types of data analysis, such as descriptive, inferential, or predictive analysis. Each type has its own goals and methods, depending on your objectives, questions, and data. For example, descriptive analysis summarizes and visualizes your data, such as frequencies, percentages, or charts. Inferential analysis tests hypotheses and draws conclusions about your population, such as correlations, regressions, or tests of significance. Predictive analysis forecasts future outcomes and trends based on your data, such as models, simulations, or scenarios. You should choose the type of analysis that best answers your questions and supports your decisions.

6 Communicate your results

The final step of your survey is to communicate your results to your stakeholders, such as your team, clients, or audience. You should present your results in a clear, concise, and compelling way, using appropriate formats, such as reports, presentations, or dashboards. You should highlight the main findings and implications of your survey, using relevant and accurate statistics, graphs, and tables. You should also acknowledge the limitations and challenges of your survey, such as sampling errors, response biases, or data quality issues. You should provide recommendations and suggestions for future actions or research, based on your results and objectives.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?