Editing Survey methodology (section)

{{Short description|Study of survey methods}}
{{For|the publication|Survey Methodology{{!}}''Survey Methodology''}}
'''Survey methodology''' is "the study of [[survey (disambiguation)|survey]] methods".<ref>
{{cite book
 | last1 = Groves
 | first1 = Robert M.
 | author-link1 = Robert M. Groves
 | last2 = Fowler
 | first2 = Floyd J.
 | author-link2 = Floyd J. Fowler Jr.
 | last3 = Couper
 | first3 = Mick P.
 | last4 = Lepkowski
 | first4 = James M.
 | last5 = Singer
 | first5 = Eleanor
 | author-link5 = Eleanor Singer
 | last6 = Tourangeau
 | first6 = Roger
 | year = 2004
 | chapter = An introduction to survey methodology
 | title = Survey Methodology
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HXoSpXvo3s4C
 | series = Wiley Series in Survey Methodology
 | volume = 561
 | edition = 2
 | location = Hoboken, New Jersey
 | publisher = John Wiley & Sons
 | publication-date = 2009
 | page = 3
 | isbn = 9780470465462
 | access-date = 27 August 2020
 | quote = [...] survey methodology is the study of survey methods. It is the study of sources of error in surveys and how to make the numbers produced by the surveys as accurate as possible.
}}
</ref>
As a field of [[applied statistics]] concentrating on [[Survey (human research)|human-research surveys]], survey methodology studies the [[sample (statistics)|sampling]] of individual units from a [[population (statistics)|population]] and associated techniques of [[survey data collection]], such as [[questionnaire construction]] and methods for improving the number and accuracy of responses to surveys. Survey methodology targets instruments or procedures that ask one or more questions that may or may not be answered.

Researchers carry out '''statistical surveys''' with a view towards making [[statistical inference]]s about the population being studied; such inferences depend strongly on the survey questions used.  [[Opinion poll|Polls]] about [[public opinion]], public-health surveys, [[market research|market-research]] surveys, government surveys and [[census]]es all exemplify [[quantitative research]] that uses survey methodology to answer questions about a  population. Although censuses do not include a "sample", they do include other aspects of survey methodology, like questionnaires, interviewers, and non-response follow-up techniques. Surveys provide important information for all kinds of [[public information|public-information]] and research fields, such as [[marketing]] research, [[psychology]], [[Health care provider|health-care provision]] and [[sociology]].