Preliminary Observations on the Telephone Survey as a Research Tool in New Providence

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15362/ijbs.v11i0.41

Keywords:

Telephone surveys

Abstract

This paper describes our experiences from using the telephone survey as a research tool in New Providence. Gender specific surveys may be complicated by the fact that females are more likely to answer the telephone than males. Respondents often seem suspicious of telephone callers, and so might be uncooperative. The large proportion of telephone lines "not in service" means that many numbers are dialed unsuccessfully. Variation between exchanges in the proportion of completed calls could result in uneven survey coverage of the island. This variability appears to be related to socio-economic factors that could bias survey results.

Author Biographies

William J. Fielding, The College of The Bahamas

Researcher Research Unit The College of The Bahamas

Denise Samuels, The College of The Bahamas

Senior Research Assistant Research Unit The College of The Bahamas

References

Batelco. (n.d.). Bahamas code routing guide. Bahamas Telecommunications Company. https://www.btcbahamas.com/sites/default/files/66071119_btc-crg-2015-layout-1-web.pdf

Batelco. (2001). The Bahamas telephone directory. Bahamas Telecommunications Company.

Blackshaw, J. K., & Day, C. (1994). Attitudes of dog owners to neutering pets: demographic data and effects of owner attitudes. Australian Veterinary Journal, 71(4), 113-116. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-0813.1994.tb03351.x

Blankenship, A. B., Breen, G. E. & Dutka, A. (1998). State of the art marketing research. (2nd ed.). NTCI Contemporary Publishing Group.

Churchill, G. A. (1996). Basic marketing research. (3rd ed.). Dryden Press.

College of The Bahamas, Research Unit. (2000). PABa nutrition research.[ Unpublished manuscript].

Fielding, W. J., & Mather, J. (2000). Stray dogs in an island community: A case study from New Providence, The Bahamas. Journal of Applied animal welfare science, 3(4), 305-319. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327604JAWS0304_3

Fielding, W. J., & Mather, J. (2001). Dog ownership in the West Indies: a case study from the Bahamas. Anthrozoös, 14(2), 72-80. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279301786999562

Fielding, W. J., Samuels, D., & Mather, J. (2002). Attitudes and actions of West Indian dog owners towards neutering their animals: A gender issue?. Anthrozoös, 15(3), 206-226. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279302786992487

Finney, D. J. (2001). Should information be free? RSS News, 28 (9), 5.

Manning, A. M., & Rowan, A. N. (1992). Companion animal demographics and sterilization status: results from a survey in four Massachusetts towns. Anthrozoös, 5(3), 192-201. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279392787011368

Patronek, G. J., Beck, A. M., & Glickman, L. T. (1997). Dynamics of dog and cat populations in a community. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 210(5), 637-642. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9054991/

Samuels, D. (2001). Survey of science and technology indicators. [Unpublished manuscript].

Vanderpool, J. (2002, April). Reflections on public opinion polling in The Bahamas: Academic and research perspectives. Paper presented at the Research Edge, The College of The Bahamas.

Zikmund, W G. (1994). Exploring marketing research. (5th ed.). Dryden Press.

Downloads

Published

2008-02-28