Once selected, subjects in a sample can be surveyed through a paper-and-pencil or computerized questionnaire or a face-to-face interview. These procedures involve asking the participants a set of questions, which might range from a few to over 1,000. These questions can be multiple-choice, true-or-false, or discussion questions; subjects can respond alone, in the privacy of their homes, or in the presence of a researcher.
Each survey method has advantages and disadvantages. Questionnaires tend to be quicker and cheaper to administer than interview surveys. In addition, because filling out a form affords greater anonymity than facing an interviewer, subjects might be considerably more likely to answer questions honestly, with minimal distortion. Sexual behavior is highly personal, and in interviews subjects might be tempted to describe their behaviors or attitudes in a more favorable light. Finally, because most written questionnaires can be evaluated objectively, their data are less subject to researcher bias than are data from interviews.
On the other hand, interviews have some advantages that questionnaires do not have. First, the format of an interview is more flexible. If a particular question is confusing to the subject, the interviewer can clarify it. In addition, interviewers have the option of varying the sequence of questions if it seems appropriate for a particular respondent. And, finally, skillful interviewers can establish excellent rapport with subjects, and the resulting sense of trust may produce more revealing responses than is possible with paper-and-pencil or computerized questionnaires.
Problems of Sex Survey Research: Nonresponse,