Understanding Surveys: Gathering and Analyzing Data Effectively (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: Statistics, basic concepts. Surveys. A survey is a series of questions that serve to gather information or opinions on a particular subject. You might have taken one before. People's answers are then turned into data which can be analyzed by the company or organization. Surveys can be filled out by hand, given over the phone, or answered online. In terms of their structure, the title usually appears at the top. This is followed by the introduction or objective, which explains the goals or purpose of the survey. Then there are the questions, which are referred to as either open or closed. Open-ended questions give people the freedom to write out their answers, while close-ended questions require them to choose from a set of options. After all of the information is collected, it can be presented in a report. Oftentimes, the data is shown as graphs. If you make your own survey, remember that it's often easier to make graphs using data from close-ended questions. For example, a sports club sent out a survey to its members, asking them which activity they enjoy the most. The participants can choose soccer, tennis, basketball, or swimming. After getting the survey results, the data is presented in a bar chart. From this graph, we can see that most of the members enjoy swimming and soccer. This information can help the club to make decisions, like whether to build a new soccer field or swimming pool. They might have heard random requests from different members, but a survey ensures that everyone has an opportunity to share their opinion, making the final decision more fair. Feel free to check out our other videos about basic concepts and statistics. You can also find the full tutorial on our website at gcfglobal.org. GCF Global, creating opportunities for a better life.