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How to Run Surveys: A Guide to Creating Your Own Identifying Variation and Revealing the Invisible

Author

Listed:
  • Stefanie Stantcheva

    (Department of Economics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA)

Abstract

Surveys are an essential approach for eliciting otherwise invisible factors such as perceptions, knowledge and beliefs, attitudes, and reasoning. These factors are critical determinants of social, economic, and political outcomes. Surveys are not merely a research tool. They are also not only a way of collecting data. Instead, they involve creating the process that will generate the data. This allows the researcher to create their own identifying and controlled variation. Thanks to the rise of mobile technologies and platforms, surveys offer valuable opportunities either to study broadly representative samples or to focus on specific groups. This article offers guidance on the complete survey process, from the design of the questions and experiments to the recruitment of respondents and the collection of data to the analysis of survey responses. It covers issues related to the sampling process, selection and attrition, attention and carelessness, survey question design and measurement, response biases, and survey experiments.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefanie Stantcheva, 2023. "How to Run Surveys: A Guide to Creating Your Own Identifying Variation and Revealing the Invisible," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 15(1), pages 205-234, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:anr:reveco:v:15:y:2023:p:205-234
    DOI: 10.1146/annurev-economics-091622-010157
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Francesca Barigozzi & Caterina Gaggini & Natalia Montinari, 2024. "Gender equality norms across generations: Evidence from a representative sample," Working Papers wp1198, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    2. Ana Costa-Ramón & Ursina Schaede & Michaela Slotwinski & Anne Ardila Brenøe, 2024. "(Not) thinking about the future: inattention and maternal labor supply," ECON - Working Papers 452, Department of Economics - University of Zurich.
    3. Heeb, Florian & Kölbel, Julian & Ramelli, Stefano & Vasileva, Anna, 2024. "Green investing and political behavior," SAFE Working Paper Series 438, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    4. Schnorpfeil, Philip & Weber, Michael & Hackethal, Andreas, 2023. "Households' response to the wealth effects of inflation," SAFE Working Paper Series 400, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    5. Tukiainen, Janne & Blesse, Sebastian & Bohne, Albrecht & Giuffrida, Leonardo M. & Jääskeläinen, Jan & Luukinen, Ari & Sieppi, Antti, 2024. "What are the priorities of bureaucrats? Evidence from conjoint experiments with procurement officials," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    6. Vincenzo Galasso & Tomasso Nannicini & Debora Nozza, 2024. "We Need to Talk: Audio Surveys and Information Extraction," CESifo Working Paper Series 11530, CESifo.
    7. Schnorpfeil, Philip & Weber, Michael & Hackethal, Andreas, 2024. "Households' response to the wealth effects of inflation," CFS Working Paper Series 728, Center for Financial Studies (CFS).
    8. Jody Grewal & Aditya Mohan & Gerardo Pérez‐Cavazos, 2024. "Payment Practices Transparency and Customer‐Supplier Dynamics," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(2), pages 635-674, May.
    9. Barboni, Giorgia & de Roux, Nicolás & Perez-Cardona, Santiago, 2024. "Perceived Social Acceptance and Migrants' Financial Inclusion," Documentos CEDE 21278, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    10. Lasse J. Jessen & Sebastian Koehne & Patrick Nüß & Jens Ruhose, 2024. "Socioeconomic Inequality in Life Expectancy: Perception and Policy Demand," CESifo Working Paper Series 10940, CESifo.
    11. Gordon Burtch & Alejandro Zentner, 2024. "Gender Bias and Property Taxes," Papers 2412.12610, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2025.
    12. Joao Guerreiro & Jonathon Hazell & Chen Lian & Christina Patterson, 2024. "Why Do Workers Dislike Inflation? Wage Erosion and Conflict Costs," Discussion Papers 2440, Centre for Macroeconomics (CFM).
    13. Kovács, Anna & Luckner, Katharina & Sekuła, Anna & Kantorowicz, Jarosław, 2024. "Beyond courts: Does strategic litigation affect climate change policy support?," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    14. Oskar Lindgren & Erik Elwing & Mikael Karlsson & Sverker C. Jagers, 2024. "Public acceptability of climate-motivated rationing," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    surveys; experiments; priming; information; beliefs; perceptions; sampling;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C8 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs
    • C9 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments
    • A22 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Undergraduate
    • A23 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Graduate
    • D7 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making
    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State

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