Librería Portfolio

In 1939, George Gallup´s American Institute of Public Opinion published a pamphlet optimistically titled The New Science of Public Opinion Measurement. At the time, though, survey research was in its infancy, and only now, six decades later, can public opinion measurement be appropriately called a science, based in part on the development of the total survey error approach.
Herbert F. Weisberg´s handbook presents a unified method for conducting good survey research centered on the various types of errors that can occur in surveys-from measurement and nonresponse error to coverage and sampling error. Each chapter is built on theoretical elements drawn from specific disciplines, such as social psychology and statistics, and follows through with detailed treatments of the specific types of error and their potential solutions. Throughout, Weisberg is attentive to survey constraints, including time and ethical considerations, as well as controversies within the field and the effects of new technology on the survey process-from Internet surveys to those completed by phone, by mail, and in person. Practitioners and students will find this comprehensive guide particularly useful now that survey research has assumed a primary place in both public and academic circles.



Table of Contents:
Preface
´Part I - Survey Error Theory´
1. Scientific Survey Research: The Development of a Discipline
2. Survey Error: The Establishment of a Paradigm
3. Survey Modes: Responses to Emerging Technologies
´Part II - Response Accuracy Issues´
4. Measurement Error Due to Interviewers: The Debate over Interviewing Style
5. Measurement Error Due to Respondents, I: Question Wording Problems
6. Measurement Error Due to Respondents, II: Questionnaire Issues
7. Nonresponse Error at the Item Level: The Scourge of Missing Data
´Part III - Respondent Selection Issues´
8. Nonresponse Error at the Unit Level: The Response Rate Challenge
9. Coverage Error: Sampling Frame Issues
10. Sampling Error: The Need for Representativeness
´Part IV - Survey Administration Issues´
11. Postsurvey Error: The Data Editing Stage
12. Mode Differences: Dealing with Sensitive Topics
13. Comparability Effects: The Limits of Equivalence
´Part V - Total Survey Design´
14. Ethics in Surveys: Respecting Respondents´ Rights
15. Survey Errors: Coping with Survey Constraints
Appendix. Meta-analysis
Notes
References
Index