Survey Research: Methods, Issues and the Future

Survey research is prevalent among many professional fields. Both cost effective and time efficient, this method of research is commonly used for the purposes of gaining insight into the attitudes, thoughts, and opinions of populations. Additionally, because there are several types of survey research designs and data collection instruments, the researcher has the flexibility to determine which methods will work best for his or her particular study. However, regardless of the method, the researcher must carefully select an excising instrument or construct the data collection instrument, as this is the key to a successful survey research study. This article defines survey research, outlines the basic structure for conducting such research, identifies some of the major challenges surrounding survey research and provides some recommendations, and provides some insights into the shape of survey research in the future.