INTERCEPT INTERVIEWS IN MALLS AND OTHER HIGH-TRAFFIC AREAS

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Research Methods STA630

Lesson 21

INTERCEPT INTERVIEWS IN MALLS AND OTHER HIGH-TRAFFIC AREAS

Personal interviews conducted in shopping malls are referred to as mall intercept interviews.

Interviewers generally stop and attempt to question shoppers at a central point within the mall or at the

entrance. These are low cost. No travel is required to the respondent's home instead the respondent

comes to the interviewer, and thus many interviews can be conducted quickly. The incidence of refusal

is high, however, because individuals may be in a hurry.

In mall intercept interviews the researcher must recognize that he or she should not be looking for

representative sample of the total population. Each mall will have its own customer characteristics of

customers.

Personal interviews in the shopping mall may be appropriate when demographic factors are not likely to

influence the survey's findings or when target group is a special population segment, such as the parents

of children of bike-riding age.

Telephone Interviewing

Telephone interviewing has been a mainstay of commercial survey research. The quality of data

obtained by telephone may be comparable to that collected in personal interviews. Respondents may

even be more willing to provide detailed and reliable information on a variety of personal topics over

the telephone than in personal interviews. Telephone surveys can provide representative samples of

general population in most industrialized countries.

Central Location Interviewing

Research agencies and interviewing services typically conduct all telephone interviews from central

location. WATS (Wide-Area Telecommunications Service) lines, provided by long distance telephone

service at fixed rates, allow interviewers to make unlimited telephone calls throughout the entire country

or within a specific geographic area. Such central location interviewing allows firms to hire staffs of

professional interviewers and to supervise and control the quality of interviewing more effectively.

When telephone interviews are centralized and computerized, the research becomes even more cost-

effective.

Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI)

Advances in computer technology allow responses to telephone interviews to be entered directly into a

computer in a process known as computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).Telephone

interviewers are seated at computer terminals. A monitor displays the questionnaire, one question at a

time, along with pre-coded possible responses to each question. The interviewer reads each question as

it is shown on the screen. When the respondent answers, the interviewer enters the response into the

computer, and it is automatically stored in the computer's memory when the computer displays the next

question on the screen. A computer assisted telephone interviewing requires that answers to the

questions be highly structured. A lot of computer programming facilitates telephone interviewing.

The Strengths of Telephone Interviewing:

1. High Speed

The speed of data collection is a major advantage of telephone interviewing. For example, union

officials who wish to survey members' attitudes toward a strike may conduct a telephone survey during

the last few days of the bargaining process. Whereas data collection with mail or personal interviews

Research Methods STA630

can take several weeks, hundreds of interviews can be conducted literally overnight. When the

interviewer enters the respondents' answers directly into a computerized system, data processing can be

done even faster.

2. Saves Cost

As the cost of personal interviews continues to increase, telephone interviews are becoming relatively

inexpensive. It is estimated the cost of telephone interviewing is less than 25% of the door to door

personal interviews.

3. Callbacks

An unanswered call, a busy signal, or a respondent who is not at home requires a callback. Telephone

callbacks are substantially easier and less expensive than personal interview callbacks.

4. Can Use Computerized Random Digit Dialing

Use of

5. Expanded Geographic Area Coverage without Increasing the Cost

6. uses fewer but highly Skilled Interviewers

7. Reduced Interviewer Bias

8. Better Access to hard-to-reach respondents through repeated callbacks

In some neighborhoods, people are reluctant to allow stranger to come inside their house, or even stop

on the doorstep. The same people, however, may be preferably willing to cooperate with a telephone

survey request. Likewise, interviewers may be somewhat reluctant to conduct face-to-face interviews in

certain neighborhoods, especially during the evening hours. Telephone interviewing avoids these

problems.

9. Use Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI)

Responses can be directly entered into computer file to reduce error and cost.

Weaknesses of Telephone Interviewing

1. Absence of Face-to-Face Contact

Telephone interviews are more impersonal than face-to-face interviews. Respondents may answer

embarrassing or confidential questions more willingly in a telephone interview than in a personal

interview. People may be more comfortable to answer sensitive and threatening questions through mail

surveys.

Absence of face-to-face contact can be a liability. The interviewer and the respondent don't see each

other what they are doing (Responding still responding when he/she is thinking and not speaking. Has

the interviewer finished recording the information)?

2. Response Rate is lower than for Personal Interviews

Some individuals refuse to participate in telephone interviews. Telephone researchers can run into

several roadblocks when trying to obtain executives' cooperation at work. Participants find it easier to

terminate a phone interview.

Research Methods STA630

3. Lack of Visual Medium

Since visual aids cannot be utilized in telephone interview, research that requires visual material cannot

be conducted by phone..

4. Limited Duration

Length of the interview is limited. Respondents who feel they have spent too much time in the

interview will simply hang up. (a good rule of thumb is to plan telephone interviews to be

approximately 10 minutes long).

5. Many Numbers are unlisted or not working

6. Less Participant Involvement

Telephone surveys can result in less thorough responses, and those interviewed by phone find the

experience to be less rewarding than a personal interview. Participants report less rapport with

telephone interviewers than with personal interviewers.

7. Distracting Physical Environment

Multiple phones distract the interview situation which may affect the quality of the data.

Self-Administered Questionnaires

The self administered questionnaire has become ubiquitous in modern living. Service evaluations of

hotels, restaurants, car dealerships, and transportation providers furnish ready examples. Often a short

questionnaire is left to be completed by thee participants in a convenient location or is packed with thee

product. Self-administered mail questionnaires are delivered not only through postal services, but also

via fax and courier service. Other modalities include computer-delivered and intercept studies.

Mail Questionnaire

A mail survey is a self administered questionnaire sent to respondents through the mail. This paper-and-

pencil method has several advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of Mail Questionnaire

1. Geographic Flexibility

Mail questionnaires can reach a geographically dispersed sample simultaneously and at a relatively low

cost because interviewers are not required. Respondents in isolated areas or those who are otherwise

difficult to reach (executives) can be contacted more easily by mail.

2. Sample Accessibility

Researchers can contact participants who may otherwise be inaccessible. Some people, such as major

corporate executives and physicians, are difficult to reach in person or by phone, as gatekeepers limit

access. But the researchers can often access these special participants by mail or computer.

3. Self-Administered Questionnaires save Time

Self-administered questionnaires can be widely distributed to a large number of employees, so

organizational problems may be assessed quickly and inexpensively. Questionnaires may be

administered during group meetings as well as in the class rooms. The researcher can establish rapport

with the respondents, can stay there for any clarifications, and may also be for any debriefing.

Research Methods STA630

4. Saves Cost

Mail questionnaires are relatively inexpensive compared to personal interviews and telephone surveys.

However, these may not be so cheap. Most include a follow-up mailing, which requires additional

postage and printing of additional questionnaires.

5. Respondent Convenience

Mail surveys and self administered questionnaires can be filled out whenever the respondent has time.

Thus there is a better chance that respondents will take time to think about their response. Many hard-to-

reach respondents place high value on responding to surveys at their own convenience and are best

contacted by mail. In some situations, particularly in organizational research, mail questionnaires allow

respondents time to collect facts (such as records of absenteeism) that they may not be able to recall

without checking. In the case of household surveys, the respondents may provide more valid and

factual information by checking with family members compared with if they are giving a personal

interview.

6. Anonymity

Mail surveys are typically perceived as more impersonal, providing more anonymity than the other

communication modes, including other methods for distributing self administered questionnaires.

Absence of interviewer can induce respondents to reveal sensitive or socially undesirable information.

7. Standardized Questions

Mail questionnaires are highly standardized, and the questions are quite structured.

Disadvantages of Mail Questionnaire

1. Low Response Rate

Mail questionnaire has very low rate of return of thee filled questionnaires.

2. Low Completion Rate

There are chances that respondents leave many questions as unanswered, either because they did not

understand the question or they shied away.

3. Increases Cost

The researcher keeps on waiting for the return. When enough response is not there, then the reminders

are sent, and again there is a waiting time. With the reminders copies of the questionnaires are sent. All

this adds to the cost of the study.

4. Interviewer's Absence

Respondent may have different interpretations of the questions. Due to the absence of the interviewer,

the respondents are unable to get any help for needed clarifications.

5. No Control on Question Order

In a self administered/mail questionnaire, the respondent usually reads the whole of the questionnaire

prior to answering the questions. The latter questions may influence the answers to the earlier

questions; thereby it is likely to bias the data. In interview the questionnaire remains in the hands of the

Research Methods STA630

interviewer, and the respondent does not know what question is likely to follow. Therefore, in interview

there is a control in the question order.

6. Cannot Use Lengthy Questionnaire

Mail questionnaires vary considerably in length, ranging from extremely short postcard questionnaires

to lengthy, multi-page booklets requiring respondents to fill thousands of answers. Lengthy

questionnaires are usually avoided by thee respondents. A general rule of thumb is that it should not

exceed six pages.

7. No Control over the Environment

The researcher does not know about who filled the questionnaire

8. Cannot Catch the Non-Verbal Behavior

9. Non-Literates cannot participate

For participation in he mail/self administered questionnaire related studies, the respondents have to be

educated up to a certain level. Hence the non-educated people are in a way excluded from the study.

Increasing Response Rate

Here are some guidelines for increasing the response rate. Response rate is the number of

questionnaires returned or completed, divided by the total number of eligible people who were

contacted or asked to participate in the survey.

Cover Letter

The cover letter that accompanies the questionnaire or is printed on the first page of the questionnaire is

an important means of inducing a reader to complete and return the questionnaire. In the letter tell why

the study is important, who is sponsoring the study, how was the respondent selected, assuring the

anonymity of the respondent could help in establishing rapport and motivating the respondent to

respond.

A personalized letter addressed to a specific individual shows the respondent that he or she is important.

Including an individually typed letter on letterhead versus printed form is an important element in

increasing the response rate in mail surveys.

Money Helps

The respondent's motivation for returning a questionnaire may be increased by offering monetary

incentives or premiums. Although pens, lottery tickets, and variety of premiums have been used,

monetary incentives appear to be thee most effective and least biasing incentive. It attracts the attention

and creates a sense of obligation. Money incentive works for all income categories.

Interesting Questions

The topic of the research and thus the point of the questions cannot be manipulated without changing

thee problem definition. However, certain interesting questions can be added to the questionnaire,

perhaps in the beginning, to stimulate the respondents' interest and to induce cooperation.

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