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Researchers primarily conduct surveys using four main methods: in-person interviews, telephone surveys, mail surveys, and internet surveys. The decision of which mode to use depends on the specific goals of the research and the available budget.

Survey Administration Mode

An in-person interview is a survey administration mode involving direct, face-to-face contact between the researcher and respondent. While this approach yields the highest response rates and allows the interviewer to make important personal judgments about the respondent—such as in mental health evaluations—it is also the most expensive method to conduct.

In-person Interview Survey

A telephone survey is an administration mode where participants are contacted by phone. This method offers a moderate level of personal contact and is generally less expensive than face-to-face interviews, though still costly. Its effectiveness has been reduced in modern times because traditional telephone directories are less comprehensive as more people exclusively use cell phones rather than landlines.

Telephone Survey

A mail survey is an administration mode where paper questionnaires are sent to participants through the postal system. This method is the least expensive option but also typically suffers from the lowest response rates, making the resulting data highly vulnerable to non-response bias.

Mail Survey

An internet survey is an increasingly dominant and low-cost administration mode where questionnaires are distributed and completed online. Researchers typically recruit participants by sending email invitations or posting links on websites, though the latter can make it difficult to obtain a truly random sample.

Internet Survey

When deciding which survey administration mode to use (such as in-person, telephone, mail, or internet), what two primary factors typically guide a researcher's choice?

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