Research Methods in Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management

Survey flow

Larger questionnaires can be organised using the ‘Block’ feature to

organise the questions. A standard type of use for this would be to

organise questions related to a certain theme together, i.e. questions about

holiday choices might be separated into those holidays taken in the

respondent’s home country and those taken abroad. Based on a

respondent question selection, they might be automatically directed to

either one or other of these blocks to answer the associated questions.

Complex survey flow options can be set up in the survey flow menu

within Qualtrics.

Distribution

The general guidance for survey distribution is split between anonymous

and unspecific distribution and that specific to a particular respondent

sample. The basic approaches to these two distribution options are quite

different, as outlined below, however some aspects of the basic

introduction do apply to both. The introductory message is often cited as

one of the most important aspects of a survey based on indications that

the majority of respondents make their decision on whether or not to

respond at this stage. The university ethical approval process will advise

the researcher about specific issues surrounding confidentiality, data

security and storage, depending on the specifics of the research, however

the generic key messages that need to be added to the introduction should

include the following:

who you are and who you represent (if applicable) and why you are

administering the survey

some reference to privacy – who will have access to the survey data;

if the survey data will remain anonymous; and whether the

respondents’ privacy will be protected

the offering of incentives, such as entry into a prize draw, which can

increase response rates. In the case of anonymous surveys, however,

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incentives should be optional as they usually involve the respondent

choosing to relinquish their anonymity by providing some form of

contact details. Incentive information should be clearly described

and the user instructed about how and when they can opt to take part

a guide to timing – generally, it is best practice to clearly but

approximately state how long the survey will take to complete.

Before you activate your survey, you will be able to see the

estimated response time on the My Projects page. Timing yourself to

complete your own survey will most likely lead to an under-

estimated result due to an awareness of your own questions and the

possible answers. Other issues could be: where branching has been

used, respondents are likely to experience an unequal number of

survey questions; and where open questions have been used,

responses can vary significantly

a request to confirm participation – ask the respondent to confirm

that they are willing to participate. Make it clear that they must click

the ‘Continue’, ‘Accept’ or ‘Submit’ button in order to confirm and

participate in the online survey. This can be ensured by adding

programming so that if a participant chooses not to complete your

online survey, they can be automatically skipped to the end.