SURVEY RESEARCHGroup 1Anthropology 1PT 104

WHAT IS SURVEY WHAT IS SURVEY RESEARCH?RESEARCH?

SURVEY RESEARCH

…to the extent that anthropologists work increasingly in complex, societies, they devise innovative strategies for blending ethnography and elements of survey research.

… working mainly in large populous nations , sociologists, social psychologists, political scientists, and economists have developed and refined survey research design which involves sampling, impersonal data collection and statistical analysis.

SURVEY RESEARCH con.SURVEY RESEARCH con.

…usually draws a sample from a much larger population.

… researcher call the people they study respondents (ethnographers worked w/ informants.)

A. Random Sample- all members of the population have an equal statistical chance of being chosen for inclusion.

- during sampling, researchers gather information about age, gender, religion, occupation, income and political party preference

SURVEY RESEARCH con.SURVEY RESEARCH con.

Variables- attributes that vary among members of a sample or population.

Predictor Variables- work separately and together in influencing a dependent variable.

VariablesVariables

Ex. Predicting “Risk of Heart Attack”- it is the dependent variable.dependent variable.

… Predictors include; sex, age, family, history, weight, blood pressure, serum cholesterol, exercise and cigarette smoking.

Survey Research- indispensable in the study of large, populous nations in which we must pay particular attention to variation.

VariablesVariables

Ethnography: Anthropology’ Distinctive

Strategy

Ethnography: Anthropology’ Ethnography: Anthropology’ Distinctive StrategyDistinctive Strategy

Ethnography emerged in societies with less social differentiation and more uniform cultural characteristics than are seen in larger, more modern societies.

it is not unusual for anthropologists to maintain a lifelong interest in the culture where they first did field work. Often they do long-term or longitudinal research there, spanning many years.

Ethnographers developed personal connections, including enduring friendships;

Differences between Survey Differences between Survey Research and EthnographyResearch and Ethnography

Differences between Survey Differences between Survey Research and EthnographyResearch and Ethnography

Survey Researcho The object of study is

usually a sample chosen (randomly or otherwise) by the researcher

Ethnographyo Ethnographers normally

study whole, functioning communities.

Differences between Survey Differences between Survey Research and EthnographyResearch and Ethnography

Survey Researcho Survey researchers have no

personal contact with their respondents. They may hire assistants to interview or ask respondents to fill and printed questions.

Ethnographyo Ethnographers do firsthand

field work, establishing a direct relationship with the people they study. Established rapport.

Differences between Survey Differences between Survey Research and EthnographyResearch and Ethnography

Survey Researcho Often survey researchers

focuses on a small number of variables.

Ethnographyo Ethnographers get to

know their informants and usually take an interest in the totality of their lives.

Differences between Survey Differences between Survey Research and EthnographyResearch and Ethnography

Survey Researcho Survey Researchers normally work in modern nations, where most people are literate

Ethnographyo Ethnographers are more

likely to study people who do not read and write.

Differences between Survey Differences between Survey Research and EthnographyResearch and Ethnography

Survey Researcho Because survey

research deals with large and diverse groups and with samples and probability, its results must be analyzed statistically.

Ethnographyo Because the societies

that anthropologist traditionally study are smaller and less diverse, many ethnographers have not acquired detailed knowledge of statistics.