Survey-Research Paradigms Old and New

Information gathering underwent a dramatic transformation in the 1930s with the rise of survey research. Now, a growing number of critics are arguing that survey research's time has passed and it should and will be replaced by a combination of data mining from the Internet and the use of various administrative records. The promise and reliability of the new techniques are assessed, and although they show promise, they are not at present scientifically superior to survey research for most uses.