Week 6: Understanding human behaviour through survey design DATA5207: Data Analysis in the Social Sciences Dr Shaun Ratcliff This week, we will be working on an assessable group activity. Normally, this will be conducted during the lab, in groups of approximately four. However, now this is something for you to do at home. This task will be to design a survey research project. In doing so, you will practice some of the skills you can use as you finish your major research project for this unit, and in any research you may work on after you graduate (in both commerical and academic settings). It requires you to think about research an academic problem, and develop a plan to successfully do this. You also need to learn how to knit an RMD file to PDF, which is good practice for your research project. To successfully complete this task, you are required to develop a research question to complete one of the tasks outlined below. You will then draft survey questions you would field to answer this question, and then briefly outline how you would use the data collected from these surveys. We are focused on surveys here, as they play an important role in the social sciences, and the study of people more generally. They provide data that allows us to study human behaviours and preferences that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to examine. However, studying people through surveys to understand the social world presents several unique challenges. Although survey research is a mature field, it is still frequently done poorly. When designing surveys and using the data they produce, we need to take into account the measurement error introduced by the survey design itself, and the way our responds react to it. Two example surveys have been uploaded to canvas to provide a guide for how you might write your items. If you have any questions about this task, please let us know. Developing a survey research project Select and complete one of the exercises outlined below. You are required to develop a research design designed to answer ONE of the two research questions below. In doing this you should: 1. Explain how you plan to answer the question. 2. Write a survey that will allow you to test your ideas. What questions are your dependent variable(s) and substantive independent variables. Are there any other potentially confounding factors that you will need to control for, and therefore collect data on? 3. Briefly outline what methods you will use to study the data collected through this survey. When designing your research plan, including your survey, all documentation will need to be written in R Markdown and you are required to justify why you made specific design decisions. You should outline your survey design, the survey mode you are choosing to use. You should take into account the sample size needed to provide the study with adequate power, sources of measurement error, and the specific design constraints and opportunities inherent in the study you are undertaking. 1 Write everything in the RMD template provided in the module for this class on canvas. You will submit your final written document (as a PDF) through a link that will be provided on canvas. You do not need to spend more than one-and-a-half hours to complete this task, which can count towards (what was) your group work grade. Question 1 Drug use in Australia You have been commissioned to write a report on the use of illicit drugs in the Australian population. We want to ascertain the proportion of the population that uses illicit drugs, and what may shape these behaviours. In particular, we are interested in: • Has the respondent used illegal (or misused legal) drugs, and if so what kind. • Does the respondent know other people who have used drugs and whether there is a network effect involved in drug use. • How age, education, socioeconomic status and gender influence drug use. • Whether drug use is linked to other illegal or anti-social behaviour. To do this you are expected to field a survey that ensures our results properly measure the use of this behaviour in the community, and that our sample reflects the general population. Design a survey research project to meet this brief. Write each question in the format you believe would provide you with the most informative answer. As you do so, include in the template (provided in canvas) an outline on the mode you would use to gather these data, the sample size, whether you would you ask any other questions to increase the utility of the survey, and any other design decisions you would make. Question 2 Media effects on attitudes towards gun control You have been commissioned to design a research project to measure of the causal effects media coverage of gun crime has on support for stricter laws on the purchasing of firearms. We want to ascertain whether higher coverage of general crime or mass shootings influences attitudes on: • Perceived change in crime rate (and violent crime rate in particular). • Support for a ban on different types of guns • Support for bans on certain people (those with prior offences, for instance) from purchasing guns. • Support for total gun bans. When asking these questions we want to measure the possible causal effects media coverage may have on respondents’ opinions on these issues. We also want to collect a survey sample that reflects the general population. Design a research project to meet this brief. Write each question in the format you believe would provide you with the most informative answer. As you do so, include in the template (provided in canvas) an outline on the mode you would use to gather these data, the sample size, whether you would you ask any other questions to increase the utility of the survey, and any other design decisions you would make. 2
