Method of sociological survey and scope of its application. Survey methods in sociology

The task of surveys in society is to ensure a two-way flow of information between managers and managed, to provide the data necessary for decision-making.

For sociology, a survey with correct use allows you to obtain information about the subjective world of people, their opinions, inclinations, and motives for action.

Typically, surveys are conducted on a sample population (sample). The sample is formed using statistical methods and should be a micromodel of the general population, i.e. research models. The properties of a sample to represent the properties of a population is called representativeness.

However, one should always take into account the possible distortion of information obtained by the survey method, associated with the peculiarities of the process of reflecting various aspects of social practice in the minds of people.

Questionnaire

Most common in practice applied sociology type of survey - questionnaire. It can be group or individual. Group questioning is a survey used mainly in organizations (places of work, study, etc.).

In individual surveys, questionnaires (questionnaires) are distributed at the respondent’s workplace or place of residence. IN Lately A one-time survey has become widespread (using electronic means of communication: telephone, websites, E-mail).

A sociological questionnaire is a system of questions united by a single research plan aimed at identifying the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the object and subject of analysis. Its purpose is to provide reliable information. To do this, you need to know and follow a number of rules and principles of its design, as well as the features of various issues. When compiling questionnaires, it is necessary to take into account that the question should be equally understandable to different socio-demographic groups of respondents (young and elderly, people with disabilities). different education etc.).

All questions can be classified: by content (questions about facts of consciousness, facts of behavior and the personality of the respondent); by form (open and closed, direct and indirect); by function (main and non-main).

Questions about the facts of people's consciousness are aimed at identifying opinions, wishes, expectations, plans for the future, etc. Questions about the facts of behavior reveal the actions, actions, and results of people’s activities. Questions about the respondent’s personality reveal his personal characteristics (gender, age, etc.).

A question is called closed if a complete set of answer options is given in the questionnaire. After reading them, the respondent chooses only the one that coincides with his opinion. Closed questions can be alternative or non-alternative. Alternative ones suggest that the respondent can choose only one answer option, and non-alternative ones - several answer options.

Open questions do not contain hints and do not “force” an answer option on the respondent. They provide an opportunity to express your opinion in full and down to the smallest detail, so they provide richer information than closed-ended questions.

Direct and indirect questions. Sometimes survey questions require the respondent to have a critical attitude towards himself, the people around him, and an assessment negative phenomena reality, etc. In some cases, such direct questions either remain unanswered or contain inaccurate information. In such cases, questions formulated in an indirect form come to the aid of the researcher.

The respondent is offered an imaginary situation that does not require an assessment of his personal qualities or the circumstances of his activities.

The main questions of the questionnaire are aimed at collecting information about the content of the phenomenon under study. Non-basic - to identify the addressee of the main question (filter questions), checking the sincerity of answers (control questions).

A sociological survey is a method of collecting primary sociological information about the object being studied by asking questions to a certain group of people called respondents. The basis of a sociological survey is mediated (questioning) or non-mediated (interview) socio-psychological communication between the sociologist and the respondent by recording answers to a system of questions arising from the purpose and objectives of the study.

Sociological survey occupies a very important place in sociological research. Its main purpose is to obtain sociological information about the state of public, group, collective and individual opinion, as well as facts, events and assessments related to the life activities of respondents. According to some scientists, almost 90% of all empirical information is collected with its help. Questioning is the leading method in studying the sphere of people's consciousness. This method is especially important in the study of social processes and phenomena that are inaccessible to direct observation, as well as in cases where the area under study is poorly provided with documentary information.

A sociological survey, unlike other methods of collecting sociological information, allows you to “catch” through a system of formalized questions not only the accentuated opinions of respondents, but also the nuances, shades of their mood and structure of thinking, as well as to identify the role of intuitive aspects in their behavior. Therefore, many researchers consider the survey to be the simplest and most accessible method collection of primary sociological information. In fact, the efficiency, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness of this method make it very popular and a priority compared to other methods of sociological research. However, this simplicity and accessibility is often apparent. The problem is not in conducting the survey as such, but in obtaining high-quality survey data. And this requires appropriate conditions and compliance with certain requirements.

The main conditions of the survey (which has been verified by the practice of sociological research) include:

1) the availability of reliable instruments justified by the research program;
2) creating a favorable, psychologically comfortable environment for the survey, which does not always depend only on the training and experience of the persons conducting it;
3) careful training of sociologists, who must have high intellectual speed, tact, and the ability to objectively assess their shortcomings and habits, which directly affects the quality of the survey; know the typology possible situations hampering the survey or provoking respondents to give inaccurate or incorrect answers; have experience in compiling questionnaires using sociologically correct methods that allow you to double-check the accuracy of the answers, etc.

In the practice of sociological research, the most common type of survey is a survey, or questionnaire. This is explained by both the variety and quality of the sociological information that can be obtained with its help. The questionnaire survey is based on the statements of individuals and is carried out in order to identify the subtlest nuances in the opinions of those surveyed (respondents). The questionnaire survey method is the most important source of information about really existing social facts and social activities. It begins, as a rule, with the formulation of program questions, the “translation” of the problems posed in the research program into questionnaire questions, with a wording that excludes different interpretations and understandable to the respondents.

In sociology, as analysis shows, two main types of questionnaires are used more often than others: continuous and selective.

A type of continuous survey is a census, in which the entire population of the country is surveyed. WITH early XIX V. Population censuses are carried out regularly in European countries, and today they are used almost everywhere. Population censuses provide invaluable social information, but are extremely expensive - even rich countries can afford such luxury only once every 10 years. A continuous questionnaire survey, therefore, covers the entire population of respondents belonging to any social community or social group. The country's population is the largest of these communities. However, there are also smaller ones, for example, company personnel, participants in the Afghan war, WWII veterans, and residents of a small town. If the survey is carried out at such objects, it is also called continuous.

A sample survey (as opposed to a continuous survey) is a more economical and no less reliable method of collecting information, although it requires sophisticated methods and techniques. Its basis is a sample population, which is a smaller copy of the general population. The general population is considered to be the entire population of the country or that part of it that the sociologist intends to study, and the sample population is the set of people interviewed directly by the sociologist.

It should be noted that the art of a questionnaire survey lies in the correct formulation and arrangement of the questions asked. The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was the first to address scientific questions. Walking through the streets of Athens, he verbally expounded his teachings, sometimes perplexing passers-by with his ingenious paradoxes. Today, in addition to sociologists, the survey method is used by journalists, doctors, investigators, and teachers. How does a sociological survey differ from surveys conducted by other specialists?

The first distinctive feature of a sociological survey is the number of respondents. Specialists usually deal with one person. A sociologist interviews hundreds and thousands of people and only then, summarizing the information received, draws conclusions. Why does he do this? When they interview one person, they find out his personal opinion. A journalist interviewing a pop star, a doctor diagnosing a patient, an investigator finding out the causes of a person’s death don’t need anything more, since what they need is the personal opinion of the interviewee. A sociologist, who interviews many people, is interested in public opinion. Individual deviations, subjective biases, prejudices, erroneous judgments, intentional distortions, processed statistically, cancel each other out. As a result, the sociologist receives an average picture of social reality. Having surveyed, for example, 100 managers, he identifies the average representative of a given profession. That’s why the sociological questionnaire does not require you to indicate your last name, first name, patronymic and address: it is anonymous. So, the sociologist, receiving statistical information, reveals social types personality.

The second distinctive feature of a sociological survey is the reliability and objectivity of the information received. This feature is actually related to the first: by interviewing hundreds and thousands of people, the sociologist gets the opportunity to process the data mathematically. And by averaging diverse opinions, he receives more reliable information than a journalist. If all scientific and methodological requirements are strictly observed, this information can be called objective, although it was obtained on the basis of subjective opinions.

The third feature of a sociological survey lies in the very purpose of the survey. A doctor, journalist or investigator does not seek generalized information, but rather finds out what distinguishes one person from another. Of course, they all seek truthful information from the interviewee: the investigator - to a greater extent, the journalist who was ordered sensational material - to a lesser extent. But none of them are aimed at expanding scientific knowledge, enriching science, clarifying scientific truth. Meanwhile, the data obtained by the sociologist (for example, about the patterns of connection between work, attitudes towards work and the form of leisure) free his fellow sociologists from the need to conduct the survey again. If it is confirmed that varied work (for example, a manager) predetermines varied leisure, and monotonous work (for example, a worker on an assembly line) is associated with monotonous, meaningless pastime (drinking, sleeping, watching TV), and if such a connection is theoretically proven, then we get a scientific social fact, universal and universal. However, such universality is of little satisfaction to a journalist or doctor, since they need to reveal individual characteristics and relationships.

An analysis of publications containing the results of sociological research shows that almost 90% of the data available in them was obtained using one or another type of sociological survey. Therefore, the popularity of this method is due to a number of fairly compelling reasons.

Firstly, behind the method of sociological survey there is a large historical tradition, which is based on statistical, psychological and test research carried out for a long time, which has allowed us to accumulate vast and unique experience. Secondly, the survey method is relatively simple. Therefore, it is often preferred in comparison with other methods of obtaining empirical information. In this regard, the survey method has become so popular that it is often identified with sociological science in general. Thirdly, the survey method has a certain universality, which makes it possible to obtain information both about the objective facts of social reality and about the subjective world of a person, his motives, values, life plans, interests, etc. Fourthly, the survey method can be effectively used when conducting both large-scale (international, national) research and to obtain information in small social groups Oh. Fifthly, the method of sociological survey is very convenient for quantitative processing of sociological information obtained with its help.

Survey methods

Questionnaire

Interviewing

Press survey

Postal survey

Telephone survey

Fax (teletype, telegraph)

Television express poll

Conclusion

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION
Sociology /from Latin - society + Greek - word, concept, doctrine/ - the science of the laws of formation, functioning, development of society, social relations and social communities. The term was introduced by the French positivist Auguste Comte /1798-1857/ in the mid-19th century. The world famous Pitirim Aleksandrovich Sorokin /1889-1968/ to his question: what kind of science is sociology? What is the subject of its study? - answered like this: “Sociology is the science of society and patterns manifested in social phenomena.” With an attempt to highlight the social in the narrow sense of the word, i.e. within society itself to distinguish social relations from economic, political, etc., the formation of various subject areas of sociology is associated. This is how a whole family of sociologies arose: labor, education, politics, family, etc. social institutions and processes. Sociological theories of the so-called appeared. intermediate level, based on material collected in empirical research. The methodology, technology and organization of sociological research have emerged as a special layer of sociological knowledge. Like other sciences, sociology has an object, subject and subject of research. The object and subject of sociological research is social reality and its various aspects and relationships.
It is quite obvious that the reliability of the facts and conclusions obtained by the researcher depends on how the latter came to these facts and conclusions, i.e., on the method he used. In everyday life, we also describe facts, evaluate their plausibility, infer hypothetical patterns, or refute other people's conclusions. However, in science, all these everyday methods of obtaining new knowledge are subject to much more careful development. Scientific methodology is a discipline that studies both technical, “procedural” issues of organizing research, and more general issues of the validity of the methods used, the reliability of observations, criteria for confirming or refuting scientific theories. Grade existing theories and hypotheses in the social sciences, as in the natural sciences, involves the introduction of certain criteria for empirical testability and the truth of theoretical statements, as well as the development and application of research methods that meet these criteria.
TO quantitative methods collection of sociological information includes methods of obtaining information aboutthe object being studied, which allow us to identify its quantitative characteristics. We are talking, first of all, about content analysis, observation, sociometry, a set of survey methods, as well as sociological experiment. In my work I will focus specifically on survey research methods.
Survey methods

Surveys are conducted by sociologists so often that some consider them to be the main and almost the only method of empirical sociology. This assessment is wrong in at least two respects. Firstly, in the arsenal of sociology there are many non-survey methods, which were discussed above and will be discussed below. Secondly, this method is not only sociological. Recently, it has been widely used in political science, journalism, economics, demographics, cultural studies, psychological, legal and other social studies.
The main purpose of sociological surveys is to obtain information about people’s opinions, their motives and assessments of social phenomena, about phenomena and states of social, group and individual consciousness. Since these opinions, motives and phenomena are properties of objects studied by sociology, surveys provide the necessary information about them. The significance of surveys increases if there is not sufficient documentary information about the phenomenon being studied, if it is not accessible to direct observation or is not amenable to experiment. In such situations, a survey can become the main method of collecting information, but must be supplemented by other research techniques.
Do not think that the research possibilities of surveys are limitless. Data obtained by survey methods express subjective opinions respondents (respondents). They need to be compared with information of an objective nature, which must be produced in other ways. Surveys provide the greatest research effect only in combination with either content analysis, observation, experiment, or other methods.
Survey methods are very diverse. Along with the well-known questioning, they are expressed in the form of interviews, postal, telephone, press, fax, expert and other surveys. Each type of survey has its own specifics, which will be discussed below. Let us now characterize their general principles.
Any sociological survey cannot be conducted until it becomes extremely clear why and how it should be done. In other words, the survey should be preceded by the development of a research program, a clear definition of goals, objectives, concepts (categories of analysis), hypotheses, object and subject, as well as sampling and research tools.
Each survey involves an ordered set of questions (questionnaire) that serves to achieve the purpose of the study, solve its problems, prove and refute its hypotheses. The wording of questions must be carefully thought out in many ways, but primarily as a way of capturing the categories of analysis.
The opinion poll is losing most its meaning if the respondents’ answers are not analyzed in terms of their social and demographic characteristics. Therefore, it involves necessarily filling out a “passport”, where the data about each respondent is entered, the need for which is again dictated by the research program.
Any survey is a specific act of communication between the interviewer (the person conducting it) and the respondent (the person being interviewed). Therefore, it must be carried out in compliance with the following, at a minimum, rules:

The respondent knows who is interviewing him and why.

The respondent is interested in the survey.

The respondent is not interested in giving out false information (he says what he really thinks).

The respondent clearly understands the content of each question.

The question has one meaning and does not contain several questions.

All questions are posed in such a way that they can be answered in a reasonable and accurate manner.

The questions are formulated without violating lexical and grammatical standards.

The wording of the question corresponds to the level of culture of the respondent.

None of the questions has an offensive meaning for the respondent or humiliates his dignity.

The interviewer behaves neutrally and does not demonstrate his attitude either to the question asked or to the answer to it.

The interviewer offers the respondent such answer options, each of which is equally acceptable.

The number of questions is consistent with common sense, does not lead to excessive intellectual and psychological overload of the respondent, and does not overtire him.

The entire system of questions and answers is sufficient to obtain the amount of information necessary to solve research problems.

The general rules of sociological surveys are modified in different ways in their specific varieties.
1.1 Questionnaire
Questioning is a written form of survey, usually carried out in absentia, i.e. without direct and immediate contact between the interviewer and the respondent. It is useful in two cases: a) when a large number of respondents need to be asked in a relatively short time, b) respondents need to think carefully about their answers with a printed questionnaire in front of them. The use of questionnaires to survey a large group of respondents, especially on issues that do not require deep thought, is not justified. In such a situation, it is more appropriate to talk with the respondent face to face.
Questioning is rarely continuous (covering all members of the community being studied); much more often it is selective. Therefore, the reliability and reliability of the information obtained by questionnaire depends, first of all, on the representativeness of the sample.
The main (but not the only) tool of this method is a questionnaire, consisting not only of a questionnaire and a “passport”, but also of a preamble and instructional section. The significance of the latter cannot be underestimated, because in the conditions of correspondence communication with the respondent, preamble - the only remedy motivating the respondent to fill out the questionnaire, developing his attitude towards the sincerity of the answers. In addition, the preamble states who is conducting the survey and why, and provides the necessary comments and instructions for the respondent’s work with the questionnaire.
The main part of the questionnaire (questionnaire) is developed not only on the basis general requirements to the survey, but also taking into account a number of additional considerations. In the questionnaire you can and should put:

not only program-thematic ones, i.e. questions directly arising from the research program, but also procedural and functional ones, aimed at optimizing the course of the survey;

both direct questions, asking the respondent to express his own position, and indirect (agreement or disagreement with the positions of other people) questions;

questions are “hooks”, posed so that the respondent “pecks”, i.e. for the sake of maintaining his interest in filling out the questionnaire;

questions are “filters” that make it possible to select a part of respondents on some basis, say, to filter out that part of them whose opinion on the question following the “filter” seems either particularly valuable, on the contrary, or not very important;

control questions checking the stability and consistency of respondents’ opinions;

“trap” questions, which are a type of control question, designed to determine the degree of sincerity of the answers;

leading questions that help to more accurately understand the meaning of the subsequent (more important) question;

dichotomous questions that require two mutually exclusive answer options (such as “yes-no”);

questions - "menu", i.e. with multiple-choice answers, when the respondent can choose any combination of answer options;

questions - “dialogues”, the answers to which are made up of the answers of imaginary persons;

scale questions, i.e. those, the answer to which lies in scaling something;

tabular questions requiring an answer in the form of filling out a table;

closed questions, i.e. accompanied by all theoretically possible options answer, from which the respondent must choose the one that corresponds to his opinion;

open questions that do not contain a single answer option, suggesting that the respondent will write what he wants in a specially designated area of the questionnaire;

semi-closed, or more precisely, partially closed (or partially open) questions, to which only part of the answer options is given in advance, which may not satisfy respondents who have the opportunity to add their own option.

When developing the text of the questionnaire, you should avoid the monotony of the types and forms of questions used, remember that each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. We should not forget about the subsequent processing of personal data. Open questions, say, are preferable to closed ones if it is important to identify all the nuances of respondents’ opinions, but the information obtained on their basis will be difficult to formalize and process. Closed questions, especially in the form of “menus”, scales, tables and dichotomies, are more convenient for processing, but do not guarantee that the completeness of respondent assessments is taken into account.
It is important to emphasize the need to comply with the rules of consistency of the questionnaire. This is necessary in order to use for scientific purposes information not only on individual questions, but also that which is revealed when understanding all questions as interacting structures, and all answers to them as interacting elements.
Putting control questions (including “traps”) in the questionnaire does not exempt its compiler from the logical verification of the sequence of questions, ensuring their mutual control. The logic of constructing questionnaires, traditional for sociological questioning, is based on the principle “from general to specific,” in which subsequent questions play the role of control questions in relation to the previous ones. But sometimes it is advisable to be guided by the opposite principle - “from particulars to generalities.”

1.2 Interviewing
Interviewing is a form of face-to-face surveying in which the researcher is in direct contact with the respondent. This method is preferable to questionnaires in the following respects:

a) there are practically no unanswered questions with him;

b) vague or contradictory answers can be clarified;

c) it is possible to observe the respondent and record not only his verbal responses, but also non-verbal reactions;

d) the information received is more complete, deeper and more reliable compared to the questionnaire.

The main disadvantage of the interviewing method is its low efficiency, significant time consumption, and the need large number interviewers, the impossibility of using it in situations of short-term mass surveys. For novice sociologists, it presents many difficulties, because requires special preparation and extensive training. Besides different types Interviewing requires the researcher to have ambiguous sets of knowledge and skills.
The most widespread in sociology is a standardized interview, the distinctive feature of which is a rigid sequence, pre-prepared clear wording of questions and well-thought-out models of answers to them. It can be carried out using a questionnaire questionnaire, which is often done to control and supplement survey data.
Semi-standardized interviews are used somewhat less frequently. It is carried out on the basis not of a formalized questionnaire, but of a memo ("guide") with a list of mandatory questions, usually semi-closed ones, which do not exclude discussion with the respondent of other problems related to the topic of research.
etc.................

(survey method in sociology) P L A N

Introduction……………………………………………………..

1. Survey methods

1.1 Questionnaire

1.2 Interviewing

1.3 Press survey

1.4 Postal survey

1.5 Telephone survey

1.6 Fax (teletype, telegraph)

1.7 Television express poll

Conclusion

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

Sociology /from Latin - society + Greek - word, concept, doctrine/ - the science of the laws of formation, functioning, development of society, social relations and social communities. The term was introduced by the French positivist Auguste Comte /1798-1857/ in the mid-19th century. The world famous Pitirim Aleksandrovich Sorokin /1889-1968/ to his question: what kind of science is sociology? What is the subject of its study? - answered like this: “Sociology is the science of society and patterns manifested in social phenomena.” With an attempt to highlight the social in the narrow sense of the word, i.e. within society itself, to distinguish social relations from economic, political, etc., is associated with the formation of various subject areas of sociology. This is how a whole family of sociologies arose: labor, education, politics, family, etc. social institutions and processes. Sociological theories of the so-called appeared. intermediate level, based on material collected in empirical research. The methodology, technology and organization of sociological research have emerged as a special layer of sociological knowledge. Like other sciences, sociology has an object, subject and subject of research. The object and subject of sociological research is social reality and its various aspects and relationships.

It is quite obvious that the reliability of the facts and conclusions obtained by the researcher depends on how the latter came to these facts and conclusions, i.e., on the method he used. In everyday life, we also describe facts, evaluate their plausibility, infer hypothetical patterns, or refute other people's conclusions. However, in science, all these everyday methods of obtaining new knowledge are subject to much more careful development. Scientific methodology is a discipline that studies technical, “procedural” issues of organizing research, and more general issues validity of the methods used, reliability of observations, criteria for confirmation or refutation scientific theories. The assessment of existing theories and hypotheses in the social sciences, as in the natural sciences, involves the introduction of certain criteria for empirical testability and the truth of theoretical statements, as well as the development and application of research methods that meet these criteria.

Quantitative methods for collecting sociological information include methods of obtaining information about the object under study, which allow us to identify it quantitative characteristics. We are talking, first of all, about content analysis, observation, sociometry, a set of survey methods, as well as a sociological experiment. In my work I will focus specifically on survey research methods.

Survey methods

The main purpose of sociological surveys is to obtain information about people’s opinions, their motives and assessments of social phenomena, about phenomena and states of social, group and individual consciousness. Since these opinions, motives and phenomena are properties of objects studied by sociology, surveys provide the necessary information about them. The significance of surveys increases if there is not sufficient documentary information about the phenomenon being studied, if it is not accessible to direct observation or is not amenable to experiment. In such situations, a survey can become the main method of collecting information, but must be supplemented by other research techniques.

Do not think that the research possibilities of surveys are limitless. Data obtained by survey methods express the subjective opinions of those surveyed (respondents). They need to be compared with information of an objective nature, which must be produced in other ways. Surveys provide the greatest research effect only in combination with either content analysis, observation, experiment, or other methods.

Survey methods are very diverse. Along with the well-known questioning, they are expressed in the form of interviews, postal, telephone, press, fax, expert and other surveys. Each type of survey has its own specifics, which will be discussed below. Let us now characterize their general principles.

Any sociological survey cannot be conducted until it becomes extremely clear why and how it should be done. In other words, the survey should be preceded by the development of a research program, a clear definition of goals, objectives, concepts (categories of analysis), hypotheses, object and subject, as well as sampling and research tools.

Each survey involves an ordered set of questions (questionnaire) that serves to achieve the purpose of the study, solve its problems, prove and refute its hypotheses. The wording of questions must be carefully thought out in many ways, but primarily as a way of capturing the categories of analysis.

A sociological survey loses most of its meaning if the respondents’ answers are not analyzed in terms of their social and demographic characteristics. Therefore, it involves necessarily filling out a “passport”, where the data about each respondent is entered, the need for which is again dictated by the research program.

Any survey is a specific act of communication between the interviewer (the person conducting it) and the respondent (the person being interviewed). Therefore, it must be carried out in compliance with the following, at a minimum, rules:

1. The respondent knows who is interviewing him and why.

2. The respondent is interested in the survey.

3. The respondent is not interested in giving out false information (he says what he really thinks).

4. The respondent clearly understands the content of each question.

5. The question has one meaning and does not contain several questions.

6. All questions are posed in such a way that they can be answered in a reasonable and accurate manner.

7. The questions are formulated without violating lexical and grammatical standards.

8. The wording of the question corresponds to the level of culture of the respondent.

9. None of the questions has an offensive meaning for the respondent or humiliates his dignity.

10. The interviewer behaves neutrally and does not demonstrate his attitude either to the question asked or to the answer to it.

11.The interviewer offers the respondent such answer options, each of which is equally acceptable.

12. The number of questions is consistent with common sense, does not lead to excessive intellectual and psychological overload of the respondent, and does not overtire him.

13.The entire system of questions and answers is sufficient to obtain the amount of information necessary to solve research problems.

The general rules of sociological surveys are modified in different ways in their specific varieties.

1.1 Questionnaire

Questioning is a written form of survey, usually carried out in absentia, i.e. without direct and immediate contact between the interviewer and the respondent. It is advisable in two cases: a) when you need to ask a large number of respondents for a relatively a short time, b) Respondents should think carefully about their answers with the printed questionnaire in front of them. The use of questionnaires to survey a large group of respondents, especially on issues that do not require deep thought, is not justified. In such a situation, it is more appropriate to talk with the respondent face to face.

Questioning is rarely continuous (covering all members of the community being studied); much more often it is selective. Therefore, the reliability and reliability of the information obtained by questionnaire depends, first of all, on the representativeness of the sample.

The main (but not the only) tool of this method is a questionnaire, consisting not only of a questionnaire and a “passport”, but also of a preamble and instructional section. The significance of the latter cannot be underestimated, because in the conditions of correspondence communication with the respondent, the preamble is the only means of motivating the respondent to fill out the questionnaire, forming his attitude towards the sincerity of the answers. In addition, the preamble states who is conducting the survey and why, and provides the necessary comments and instructions for the respondent’s work with the questionnaire.

The main part of the questionnaire (questionnaire) is developed not only on the basis of the general requirements for the survey, but also taking into account a number of additional considerations. In the questionnaire you can and should put:

1. not only program-thematic, i.e. questions directly arising from the research program, but also procedural and functional ones, aimed at optimizing the course of the survey;

2. both direct questions, asking the respondent to express his own position, and indirect (agreement or disagreement with the positions of other people) questions;

3. questions - “hooks”, posed so that the respondent “pecks”, i.e. for the sake of maintaining his interest in filling out the questionnaire;

4. questions - “filters”, which make it possible to select a part of respondents on some basis, say, to filter out that part of them whose opinion on the question following the “filter” seems either particularly valuable, on the contrary, or not very important;

5. control questions checking the stability and consistency of respondents’ opinions;

6. questions - “trap”, which are a type of test, designed to determine the degree of sincerity of the answers;

7. leading questions that help to more accurately understand the meaning of the subsequent (more important) question;

8. dichotomous questions that require two mutually exclusive answer options (such as “yes-no”);

9. questions - “menu”, i.e. with multiple-choice answers, when the respondent can choose any combination of answer options;

10.questions - “dialogues”, the answers to which are made up of the answers of imaginary persons;

11.scale questions, i.e. those, the answer to which lies in scaling something;

12.tabular questions requiring an answer in the form of filling out a table;

13.closed questions, i.e. accompanied by all theoretically possible answer options, from which the respondent must choose the one that corresponds to his opinion;

14.open questions that do not contain a single answer option, suggesting that the respondent will write what he wants in a specially designated area of the questionnaire;

15.semi-closed, or rather, partially closed (or partially open) questions, to which only part of the answer options is given in advance, which may not satisfy respondents who have the opportunity to add their own option.

It is important to emphasize the need to comply with the rules of consistency of the questionnaire. This is necessary in order to use for scientific purposes information not only on individual questions, but also that which is revealed when understanding all questions as interacting structures, and all answers to them as interacting elements.

Putting control questions (including “traps”) in the questionnaire does not exempt its compiler from the logical verification of the sequence of questions, ensuring their mutual control. The logic of constructing questionnaires, traditional for sociological questioning, is based on the principle “from general to specific,” in which subsequent questions play the role of control questions in relation to the previous ones. But sometimes it is advisable to be guided by the opposite principle - “from particulars to generalities.”

1.2 Interviewing

Interviewing is a form of face-to-face surveying in which the researcher is in direct contact with the respondent. This method is preferable to questionnaires in the following respects:

a) there are practically no unanswered questions with him;
b) vague or contradictory answers can be clarified;
c) it is possible to observe the respondent and record not only his verbal responses, but also non-verbal reactions;
d) the information received is more complete, deeper and more reliable compared to the questionnaire.

The main disadvantage of the interviewing method is its low efficiency, significant time consumption, the need for a large number of interviewers, and the impossibility of using it in situations of short-term mass surveys. For novice sociologists, it presents many difficulties, because requires special preparation and extensive training. In addition, different types of interviewing require the researcher to have ambiguous sets of knowledge and skills.

The most widespread in sociology is the standardized interview. distinctive feature and which is a strict sequence, pre-prepared clear formulations of questions and thoughtful models of answers to them. It can be carried out using a questionnaire questionnaire, which is often done to control and supplement survey data.

Semi-standardized interviews are used somewhat less frequently. It is carried out on the basis not of a formalized questionnaire, but of a memo ("guide") with a list of mandatory questions, usually semi-closed ones, which do not exclude discussion with the respondent of other problems related to the topic of research.

Even less common are focused interviews, in which only the initial question is standardized (albeit in several variations), and the main task is seen as focusing the respondents’ attention on discussing the version of the problem that seems most important to them.

Only experienced sociologists (and even then not always) use free and exploratory interviewing. An interview is called free when the interviewer is faced with the problem of collecting information relevant to research tasks without the presence of a pre-developed instrument. Here the sociologist is free to choose questions, determine their order, quantity and methods of expression, as well as methods of recording information.

An exploratory interview (its other designation is in-depth) is used to determine and/or clarify the formulation of working hypotheses at the stage of developing a research program. Its purpose is not only and not so much to obtain information about the object, but rather to find out what information is to be produced in the upcoming study. At the same time, both the interviewer and the respondent are free to choose how to conduct the conversation.

Each of the five described types of interviews can be implemented:

a) once or in panels (repeatedly after a certain time interval);
b) in interpersonal (interviewer-respondent), personal-group (a group of interviewers - a respondent or, conversely, an interviewer - a group of respondents) and group-group form (when a group of interviewers talks with a group of respondents).

The range of requirements for interviewers working in such different situations is naturally very wide, both in sociological and psychological, pedagogical, conflictological, journalistic and other respects. To conduct one-time standardized interviews of an interpersonal nature, it is not necessary to involve qualified sociologists (sometimes this is even desirable in order to increase the impartiality of the data). But without them it is impossible to obtain reliable information in all other types of interviewing.

1.3. Press survey

A press survey is a type of questioning carried out through periodicals. Main advantages: efficiency, mass participation, cost-effectiveness, frankness of respondents due to the voluntariness of their participation in the survey.

Its main disadvantages: low representativeness, low rates of return of completed questionnaires, aggravated by their large rejection, small number of questions, predominance of closed questions, limited opportunities the use of scale, table, dialogue, menu-type, control and filter questions, the likelihood of influence of other persons on the respondent.

1. preliminary testing (pilotage) among all qualitatively different groups of readers of this press;

2. extreme simplicity of the wording of questions and instructions for filling out;

3. use of different fonts when publishing (to highlight the semantic structure of the questionnaire);

4. reprinting the questionnaire in the same newspaper a week and a half after the first publication;

5. announcement of the survey results on the pages of the same publication.

Since every newspaper has its regular readers, different from other people nearby social characteristics(level of material wealth, place of residence, ideological, political and other preferences), insofar as the results of a press survey conducted by one newspaper cannot be used to judge the state of public opinion inherent in the entire population. This explains the desirability and need for simultaneously conducting press surveys using the same questionnaire in newspapers of different directions. Violation of this principle (unfortunately, in modern Russian conditions it occurs not as an unfortunate exception, but as a rule) leads not to knowledge of true public opinion, but to various kinds ideological and political speculation.

1.4. Postal survey

A postal survey is a form of questioning by mail that involves sending questionnaires (to specially selected addresses) to those individuals who collectively represent the object being studied.

The advantages of the method are the possibility:

a) receive answers to questions of a delicate and intimate nature,
b) cover settlements where surveyors cannot reach,
c) have Additional information, correcting data produced by any other method,
d) save money (a postal survey costs at least two times less than regular interviewing).

Flaws:

a) low age of questionnaires,
b) distortions in representativeness,
c) the inevitability of culling,
d) violation of the survey anonymity rule,
e) increasing distortion of answers.

Mandatory requirements this method:

1. thorough, multifaceted and reusable piloting of the questionnaire design;

2. detailed instructions for filling it out;

3. encryption of envelopes;

4. investment in postal items a blank envelope for returning the application form;

5. a reminder to respondents about the need to return the completed questionnaire (by telephone, mail and other means).

1.5 Telephone survey

A telephone survey is a specific synthesis of questioning and interviewing, used, as a rule, within one city or other locality. The popularity of using this method in modern Russian conditions is increasing, especially during election campaigns.

Main advantages: efficiency, short-termism and cost-effectiveness. The main disadvantage: due to the impossibility of complying with the rule of representativeness of the sample. This circumstance is due to the lack of telephones among certain social groups of the population; a large number of subscribers refusing to survey for various reasons and reasons; many other factors.

Mandatory requirements for the method:

1. preliminary study of the city map, places of contact residence of representatives of different social groups, location of automatic telephone exchanges;

2. development special tool, including a cartogram of the survey, questionnaire forms and coding sheets, a diary and survey protocol, detailed instructions for interviewers;

3. availability of telephone directories;

4. compliance in advance set step(interval) when dialing telephone numbers of one PBX;

5. special training, including special training for telephone interviewers;

6. increased demands on their honesty;

7. mandatory control over their activities;

8. cross-checking of the received data through random control surveys of surveyed subscribers.

1.6. Fax (teletype, telegraph) survey

A fax (teletype, telegraph) survey is a form of questioning that is rarely used for scientific purposes, in which the units for selecting respondents are institutions and organizations that have fax, teletype, telegraph or other electronic communications with a sociological center. It is found in two varieties, differing in the actual composition of respondents. In the first, the respondents are the heads of the designated enterprises and institutions; in the second, the circle of respondents is expanded by surveying by managers (or sociologists) those individuals identified by the organizers of the survey.

The main advantage of the method is the super-efficiency and expert significance of the information received. Disadvantages: extremely condensed questionnaire (no more than five items), closed questions and limited answer options (no more than seven).

1.7. Television express poll

Express television polling is a method of collecting not so much sociological as political science information, used by the presenters of political television programs. The technique of this method involves:

1. formulation by the TV presenter of one of the most pressing questions;

2. motivating TV viewers to express their answer to the question posed in the form of either “yes” or “no”;

3. a request to television viewers to immediately call the specified telephone number and declare their position before the end of this television program (i.e. within 20-30 minutes);

4. prompt counting of the survey code with demonstration of this count on an electronic display;

5. commenting on the results obtained.

This method of television journalism, attractive to many, can only give a superficial idea of public opinion in general, on the issue at hand, in particular. It cannot reveal the state of mind of the entire people, because... Not everyone saw this TV show, and only a few had the opportunity to call the TV studio. Nevertheless, this method can be used in sociological research, naturally, without claiming to be the main and objective one.

Referendums, plebiscites and other popular votes are political events that are associated with a survey of the population, and therefore should be used for sociological analysis of public opinion and the degree of social tension. Unfortunately, when developing issues put to a popular vote, scientific standards are violated in favor of the political interests and ambitions of their representatives. This sharply reduces the sociological value of their results, but does not exclude the advisability of taking them into account in research work, for example, when constructing hypotheses.

Expert polls are a specific type of polls that are not of a mass nature, but play a role important role in empirical sociology and increasingly used by it.

CONCLUSION

Sociology in our country is a relatively young science. There was a time when, along with cybernetics and genetics, sociology was considered a bourgeois science. Sociological research was not encouraged, because it was believed that everything contained in party documents was true. Along the way, it can be noted that at present we have gone to the other extreme: every student and every non-specialist teacher considers himself a complete sociologist and considers knowledge of sociological theory, methodology and methods of conducting sociological research unnecessary, limiting himself to compiling primitive questionnaires. Meanwhile, the study of sociology is of theoretical and practical interest for future specialists.

The peculiarity of the sociological method and research lies in two fundamental points: first, it allows you to formalize the method of collecting social information. What other humanities disciplines spend on long years labor and resources, a sociologist can do in a few days, and at the same time obtain relatively cheap and objective information. Secondly, the sociological research method allows, by conceptually recording a phenomenon in the process of its development, to verify the resulting conceptual constructs, albeit relative to its previous stage, i.e., recording as an after fact. But this allows us to quite successfully predict and, accordingly, plan our activities and even design some social processes.

List of used literature

1. Kurbatov V.I. Sociology. – M.: March, 2000.

2. Radugin A.A., K.A. Radugin. Sociology. - M.: Center, 2001.

3. Rastov Yu.E., S.I. Grigoriev. The beginnings of modern sociology: Tutorial. – M., 1999..

4. Sociological dictionary. - Minsk: Universitetskoe, 1991.

5. Yadov V.A. Sociology in Russia. – M.: Institute of Sociology. RAS, 1998.

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Despite the fact that at the level of mass consciousness the activity of a sociologist is associated primarily with the survey method, the survey itself is not an invention of sociologists. In all branches of knowledge where the researcher asks questions to a person to obtain information, he deals with various modifications of this method. That is, the survey is used within the framework of other sciences. For example, in medicine (the doctor asks questions to the patient to collect anamnesis: how the disease began and how it progressed); – in statistics (population census); - in pedagogy (the teacher asks questions to the student); – in journalism (interviews with celebrities); – in psychology (conversation between a psychotherapist and a patient); in jurisprudence (interviewing witnesses, interrogating suspects).

What is common in the application of the survey method in various fields? Firstly, the source of information is a person; secondly, a question-and-answer form of conversation is used; thirdly, information is obtained through the process of communication, although the forms of communication are different (personal or correspondence, oral or written, individual or group). A sociological survey, of course, has its own characteristics: methodological principles and conducting techniques. What is it?

Let's start with definitions that, in their formulation, express the specific features of the survey method.

1. Survey in sociology - method indirect collection of primary verbal information. There are two key words in this definition by F. Sheregi: indirect collection (i.e., a questionnaire or questionnaire in a survey, and a guide and interviewer in an interview); verbal information, i.e. verbal, expressed orally or in writing.

2. A survey is an indispensable method of obtaining information about subjective world people, their inclinations, motives of activity, opinions (V.A. Yadov). This definition places emphasis on the subjective nature of the information received.

3. A survey is question-and-answer method of collecting sociological data, in which the source of information is verbal communication between people. Here the author focuses on the importance of the ability to ask and construct questions.

All these definitions emphasize important features survey method in sociology.

In general, the survey has a long tradition. It was used in ancient times for population censuses, for example in Egypt, Ancient Rus' to find out how many solvent people there are and how many potential warriors there are in society.

In 1880, a little-known study was undertaken among French workers. One German scientist mailed out 25,000 questionnaires to reveal the extent to which workers were exploited by their employers. Among the rather numerous questions in the questionnaire were the following: “Does your employer resort to deception in order to defraud you of part of your earnings?” This researcher was Karl Marx. 25 thousand questionnaires were sent out, but there is no information on how many of them were returned. Returning to our days, we note that a survey makes it possible to obtain information that is not always reflected in documentary sources and is not always available to direct observation. The survey method is used when it is necessary to identify subjective ideas, opinions, and assessments of people. For example, if you want to identify possible reasons for the dismissal of workers from the enterprise, then you need to use the survey method, but if you want to get an objective picture of the problem of staff turnover, then you need to contact the HR department of the enterprise, where they will provide you with data on how many the person quit within a certain period of time, what is their gender, age, Family status etc.

Specifics of a sociological survey is as follows:

A) Focus. The purpose of the survey is determined not directly by the interests of the communicating parties, but by the objectives and research program;

B) Asymmetry . Different roles, activity and initiative of the parties to communication, although there are methodological techniques that make it possible to make the communication situation more symmetrical (relieve the respondent’s tension, position him for the conversation, etc.);

IN) Mediocrity . The survey is mediated twice: by a questionnaire (interview form) and by a questionnaire (interviewer, the person conducting the conversation). This requires the sociologist to address Special attention both for the preparation of the questionnaire and the selection of interviewers;

G) Mass communication . Usually large communities (groups) of people are surveyed;

D) Anonymity. In a sociological survey, the researcher is not interested in the last name or first name of the respondent, with the exception of a survey of experts.

So, a survey in sociology is one of the most common methods of obtaining information, up to 60-70%. But, on the other hand, there is a situation of some absolutization of the capabilities of this method to the detriment of the use of other sociological methods. Often, novice sociologists turn to surveys in any case (sometimes not for their intended purpose), which narrows the analytical capabilities of sociological methods, limiting the empirical base of sociology.