Surveys

// Giving and soliciting opinions in few clicks //
 * ON-LINE SURVEYS**

**What it is**

On-line surveys are web based forms which can be used to gather information from staff, stakeholders, constituents and the general public. On-line surveys can be created using free tools, such as Google forms, which tend to have some limitations or advertising, or with fee-based tools such as Survey Monkey (OHCHR has a subscription with this service and IT colleagues can assist in creating surveys through Survey Monkey, contact: intranet@ohchr.org). The design of surveys and polls is the most important success element and is not technology dependent. On-line tools make it easier to distribute the surveys and collect the data. They are especially useful when the data collection mechanisms are powerful and already available. This allows for fast analysis of results and reduces potential errors which often result from collecting information individual by individual or "by hand".

**When to use it**


 * To consult staff and partners and provide an anonymous and democratic way of gathering opinions and views.
 * To solicit inputs from stakeholders.
 * To assess needs in a given area as a basis for future work (planning).
 * After carrying out events for evaluation purposes.
 * To increase transparency and participation in decision-making processes.
 * In learning activities: to assess learning needs (before) and to evaluate the learning activity and its impact (after)
 * Examples of on-line surveys in OHCHR include:
 * Survey on library services and collections
 * Survey on recruitment processes
 * Survey on OHCHR engagement in humanitarian action
 * Pre and post training surveys

**How it is applied** __Technological aspects__
 * Provide contact details for people to ask questions and clear doubts.
 * When selecting the provider, pay attention to the possibilities for automatic reporting and data export.

__Methodological aspects__
 * Include brief instructions with your survey questionnaire (context, purpose, use of information collected, anonymous character of the survey-when applicable-, time expected to complete it).
 * While open questions are possible and sometimes appropriate, opt for closed questions with lists of ready-made answers to the extent possible. Include a field for comments and "other" for respondents that do not fit with any of the ready-made answers. Closed questions with multiple ready-made answers will allow for a more accurate analysis of quantitive information and provide you with statistics. Closed questions are also faster to respond and will therefore increase your overall response rate.
 * Make sure that all of the answers you provide to closed questions are relevant to the question posed.
 * Consistency is very important when you prepare ready-made responses.
 * To capture varying degrees of emotion about a subject, it is best to use either a rating or a ranking question (e.g. "please identify the 3 most important priorities among those listed below"; "please indicate how accessible information on XXX is: very difficult to access, difficult to access, accessible, very easy to access, not applicable/relevant"; "please indicate the degree to which you agree with the following statements: strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree").
 * Open questions are appropriate when you explore new ideas, you do not know what to expect from the respondents and you do not need quantitive but rather qualitative information (e.g. description of specific experiences and practices, examples of legislation or other materials, etc.). If you opt for open questions, be aware that the quality and relevance of responses will vary enormously.
 * Keep the questions short and concise.
 * Do not ask for personal information unless you need it.
 * Test and proofread the survey questionnaire thoroughly before sending it out


 * Quote**

"//Online surveys are easy to create, distribute and analyse. They are also easy to fill in. When the Library conducted the survey on the library services and collections we used Zoomerang survey tool. We included the survey link in the Library's electronic newsletter, shared it with office colleagues through e-mail and posted it on the Library's intranet page. Not only did this survey give us an opportunity to get the necessary feedback from our clients; it also became a tool for promoting library services.//"

Alfia Abazova and Anthony Donnarumma


 * Where to learn more**


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 * [|Google spreadsheet]form capability
 * [|Opinio]is a nice tool for this and is free. You can use it in a hosted environment or install it on your own server.
 * [|Zoomerang] is an alternative to Survey Monkey.