Date of Award

1974

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Political Science

Abstract

The area of public opinion and survey research is one of my chief interests in my chosen major of political science. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate my accumulated knowledge and experience in the field of survey research. After studying and working under Dr. Dan E. Jones, an Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Bureau of Government and Opinion Research, for approximately four years, I have been involved in the many phases of survey research on numerous projects including public opinion surveys, political polls, elite interviewing, and election projections.

With the approval of Dr. Sanders, Director of the Honors Program, and under the direction of Dr. Dan E. Jones, I was involved in all steps of the December 1973 KCPX News Survey, including writing the analysis which comprises the remainder of this report. Following is a simplified outline of the steps in this survey project which I helped direct and implement:

1. HYPOTHESIZING--deciding what it is you want to study.
2. DESIGNING--establishing the procedures and methods to use.
3. PLANNING--figuring materials and personnel needed.
4. SAMPLING--choosing which people are to be interviewed.
5. DRAFTING--framing the questions for use in the field.
6. CONSTRUCTING--planning the format of the questionnaire.
7. PRE-TESTING--determining whether the questions elicit the data desired.
8. BRIEFING--showing interviewers how to use the questionnaire.
9. INTERVIEWING--securing data from respondents.
10. CONTROLLING--seeing that the interviewing gets done.
11. VERIFYING--assuring that the collected data are accurate.
12. CODING--preparing the data for analysis.
13. PROCESSING--organizing data mechanically or electronically.
14. ANALYZING--interpreting the data.

The Introduction to the analysis which begins on page 1 gives detailed information on many of the above steps.

Download

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .

 

Faculty Mentor

Dan E. Jones