Nowadays advanced survey software make it easy to develop survey and mostly researchers gathers information online. If respondents are accessible then I personally don’t prefer this data collection mode. Whether a searcher select online survey or paper survey it should focus on study type and the demographics of the respondents.
Sometimes a researcher select online or mobile survey due to cost effectiveness, yet they may not able to reach those who can only use the alternate modes. In online survey and mobiles survey desired results may differ due to respondent’s lack of interest. In far-flung and rural areas traditional methods of survey is best option.
It is a big challenge for researchers to reach all respondents. However, following are the advantages and disadvantages of surveys.
Advantages of Social Survey
- Close Contact. While studying a field an instigator has close contact with local people and for this purpose he studies more about the problematic situation.
- Greater Objectivity. Survey method leads to greater objectivity. Since there is close contact of the surveyor with people and observe the situation himself, therefore greater objectivity is achieved in this method.
- Knowledge about Social Situation. Survey method provides the opportunities of having full knowledge about a problem and its solution.
- Thorough study of a Problem. Through study is possible due to the find out of a problem causes and its remedies. If these are found then the whole study is possible.
- Useful for Administrators & Policy Makers. Social survey method is very useful for administrators and policy makers. In many countries, legislation was done to remove the causes of problems like child labour, women labour etc. administrators and policy when a social survey is conducted.
- Social Change & Development. Due to Social survey we find out the trends towards social change and factors resisting in its way. Thus, if these trends are developed and controlled the resisting factors, then social change and development is occurring.
- More Information’s & Facts. Social survey is a main source of more information’s collection. It leads to collect facts about a problematic situation and give information’s.
Disadvantages of Social Survey
- Specific Training. It is difficult to provide specific training to the researcher as a result, a layman cannot conduct survey because specific training is required for him to study the situation deeply.
- Time Consuming. Social survey method is more time consuming. The researcher have no interest in collection of data due to more time taking and the respondents are not ready to answer because they have no time. So, long time is a negative factors in survey method.
- More Costly. Survey is most costly and without money it is not possible. So, the higher expenditure of the researcher is a factor for less or no survey.
- Sampling Errors. Sampling method is used of vast area is also conducted by sampling. If sampling method is used, there must by errors in sampling.
- No Application to Historical Problems. Survey method is used for the current problems and have no implementation on the past or historical events.
- No Uniformity of Data. Data is collected from a huge field and the respondents would be different. So, there exists no uniformity in data collection through social survey method.