MLA 380:
The Past and Present of Survey Research in America: Controversies, Drama, and Successful Science
Commercial companies, government agencies, NGOs, and academics routinely rely on surveys to guide their work. Poor quality surveys have been proliferating in recent years and creating the misleading impression that surveys are routinely inaccurate. But in fact, high quality surveys continue to precisely forecast election outcomes and measure many other phenomena more accurately and quickly and efficiently than lots of other approaches.But to achieve that accuracy, a researcher needs to know what scientists have learned over decades about how to draw truly representative samples from well-defined populations, how to hire and train interviewers to carry out their work objectively and effectively, how to write questions that are easy for respondents to interpret and answer and don't cause bias, how to properly analyze data with weights, and much more. During this course, students will review the evidence documenting accuracy and inaccuracy in survey measurements, guidelines for best practices in collecting survey data, and optimal approaches to analyzing and interpreting survey evidence. In addition, we'll look at in-depth stories of the findings and controversies surrounding surveys of opinions on global warming, surveys assessing the impact of massive chemical spills on the public, surveys assessing the frequency with which safety-endangering things happen during flights of commercial passenger aircraft, and more. This course will help students to be smarter users of survey data, will help to differentiate good surveys from unreliable ones, and will illuminate the roles that surveys play in society today.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4