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Survey research is a versatile methodology utilized to investigate a wide range of basic and applied research questions. It is predominantly used as a non-experimental research design to describe single variables, such as estimating the prevalence of mental disorders, or to identify statistical relationships among naturally occurring variables. Additionally, surveys can function as a data collection method within experimental research to test specific hypotheses concerning causal relationships between variables. When deployed with large and diverse samples, these survey-based experiments provide a valuable complement to traditional laboratory studies.

Applications of Surveys

The lifetime prevalence of a condition refers to the percentage of the population that develops that specific problem at any point during their lives. This epidemiological metric is highly valuable to researchers investigating the causes and correlates of disorders, as well as to clinicians and policymakers who must understand exactly how common these conditions are to allocate resources effectively.

Lifetime Prevalence Rate

Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, researchers demonstrated the utility of survey research in psychology by conducting a large-scale internet survey on risk perception. The survey results indicated that participants generally tended to overestimate most risks, that females overestimated risks more than males, and that there were no differences in risk perception between teens and adults. To test their specific hypotheses about emotion, the researchers also incorporated an experimental manipulation within the survey by priming participants to feel either anger or fear. This revealed that risk perceptions are strongly tied to specific emotions; notably, individuals primed to feel anger perceived significantly less risk than those primed to feel fear.

Example of Survey Research: Emotion and Risk Perception

While survey research is predominantly used as a non-experimental design to describe single variables or identify statistical relationships, what other methodological role can it serve?

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