182 15.11 Face-to-Face
Trained interviewers meet individually with the survey respondents and ask them the survey questions in person
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Advantages:
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longer and more complex questions can be accommodated
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questions that require the respondent to react to visual images can be asked
Disadvantages:
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labor costs for interviewer training is high
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transportation costs for interviewers’ travel to and from the respondents’ locations are very high
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respondents are less and less likely to allow strangers into their homes so the completion rate is low
Evaluating face-to-face survey data: The following questions are important guides to determining the quality of the firm doing the survey and to the reliability of the information gathered by the survey:
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How were the interviewers selected?
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Were the interviewers chosen to avoid the bias of race, age, sex or other social factors that might limit respondents’ comfort level in participating?
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How was the work of each interviewer checked?
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What instructions did the interviewers receive regarding the selection of respondents?