Experimental Methods in Survey Research: Techniques that Combine Random Sampling with Random Assignment

With a recent increase of experiments in survey research and methodology, survey researchers have found a need to bring together the many types of experiments used by survey researchers and their applications throughout various disciplines. This book bridges the gap in literature and explores the broad range of experimental design in survey-based experiments with a combined methodological and substantive focus on the ways the experiments are conducted and used in survey research. The book is edited by a group of established experts in the field of survey research/methodology and the chapters feature expert contributors across a variety of disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The book approaches coverage on survey-based experiments with a Total Survey Error (TSE) perspective, which provides insight on the strengths and weaknesses of the technique. Using the same basic structure, each chapter starts with a description of the experimental method or application, followed by a reference to any relevant reviews in current literature. Subsequently, the TSE perspective is employed to demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of the experimental methodology, including potential confounds and methods to avoid them. Next the chapter presents a detailed explanation and illustration of the experimental method’s deployment. Lastly, statistical best practices with the generated data are discussed and any remaining knowledge gaps are filled. Chapter topics include: randomized response techniques; question/response experiment design; increasing response rates and data quality; reducing survey costs; use of audio and visual experimental stimuli; and vignettes of experiments in multiple of subject areas including political science, sociology, economics, psychology, and marketing.