ANALIZE

Satisficing in Surveys

Respondents' behaviour during the survey is influenced by various factors: the complexity of the questionnaire, the respondent's ability and the respondent's motivation. In long surveys, respondents often become tired, disinterested, impatient and distracted when completing the survey. This can lead to the respondent starting to answer according to the satisficing theory. Satisficing is an alternative form of behaviour of respondents who lack engagement but still participate in the survey for various reasons (e.g. contract, rewards, feelings of shame, habit, curiosity, etc.).

Whether respondents are completing the survey on a satisficing basis can be identified through various response patterns: the choice of the first answer, the choice of the middle values, the choice of the last answer, random choices, the choice of the final and first values for matrix questions (tables) and the use of the answer 'Don't know', the time of completion of the survey, etc.

Approaches to Reducing Satisficing in Surveys

1. Before data collection:

If possible, keep the questionnaire short, keep the questions simple and occasionally include questions where respondents are asked to explain their answer. Put the more important questions at the beginning.
Motivation of respondents can be increased by emphasising the importance of the study.
We make the survey easier for respondents by reducing the complexity of the wording of questions, avoiding questions about events that would be harder for respondents to recall, rewording complex questions into multiple questions, naming all answers.
The satisficing effect can also be reduced by randomising the answers, avoiding table-type questions and questions with non-content answers.

2. During data collection:

At the time of data collection, we can monitor the time taken to complete the survey, which, in the event that the survey is completed significantly faster than expected, indicates the possibility of satisficing-based completion. It should be borne in mind that fast completion is not necessarily an indicator of satisficing.

3. After collecting data:

After the data collection period, we can remove answers or even whole units from the analysis (or use data insertion methods) where we observe satisficing to improve the quality of the data.

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Public URL to View Data and Analysis

1KA allows you to create a public URL to view data and analysis. Functionality is used in application forms, voting or other short surveys.

In the 'DATA' and 'ANALYSE' tabs, there is an export icon on the top right. Select 'Public link' and 'Add new link'. 1KA generates a URL to access the database, which you can share with anyone. This way, you can keep up with the responses from respondents or new applications. To generate a public link to the analysis, the process is the same as for data.

More options for setting up a public URL:

Access password: You can specify a password that the recipients must enter to see the data or analysis. If you leave the password field blank, then everyone who receives a link will be able to access it without a password.
Refresh every 15 seconds: You can set the public URL to be automatically refreshed every 15 seconds. This means that the page is reloaded every 15 seconds, thus always displaying up-to-date data. This is especially suitable for various presentations, monitoring of live voting, etc. If you do not choose this option, you need to manually reload the page to refresh the data.

Public links can be deleted by clicking on the icon on the far left - 'Delete link' in the 'Public links to data' window.

Examples:

The functionality is available for users of the 2KA and 3KA packages for individuals, and for users of the business packages for groups.

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Analysis Archives

In the 'ANALYSE' – 'Archive' – 'Analysis archive' tab, all archives of analyses, tables or graphs that you have archived in the 'ANALYSE' tab are displayed. You can also create an archive of the current analysis on this page.

A list of archive analyses is generated along with the following information:

name of the archive;
comment/note;
information about access to the archive (password, no password, only survey administrators).

When an analysis archive is created, the editor also has access to the following information:

type of analysis (e.g. summary);
date of archive creation;
duration of the archive;
archive author's email;
email of the survey editor who made the last change to the archive;
the option of deleting, editing and sending links to the archive.

The functionality is available for users of the 2KA and 3KA packages for individuals, and for users of the business packages for groups.

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Break

If you click on the 'ANALYSE' – 'Statistics' tab and select 'Break' from the drop-down menu ('Select:'), you can generate analyses based on a single independent variable.

Select the independent variable (e.g. gender) from the newly displayed drop-down list and the analysis of all the questions in the survey will be displayed in the form of bivariate tables. The results for each question are displayed according to the variable selected (e.g. each table shows the responses for each question, with answers separated by the gender of the respondent).

By default, the results are displayed as frequencies, if you want to display them as percentages then select the 'Percentage' option, and you can also choose to display the analyses as tables or graphs (option to the right of the drop-down menu).

2KA and 3KA package users as well as users of the business packages for groups can export each individual 'Break' table to PDF, MS Word or MS Excel formats. These users can also analyse statistics with advanced analysis options and filter them according to segments, zoom, groups, variables, conditions, missing values, time period and unit status.

Some of the functionalities described are only available for users of the 2KA and 3KA packages for individuals, and for users of the business packages for groups.

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Your First Survey

After you have successfully registered on 1KA's website, you are able to create your first survey.

1. CREATING A SURVEY

You can create a survey in the 'My surveys' tab by clicking on 'Create Survey'. Choose a name for your survey, which will be displayed in your directory, as well as the name that will be visible when the survey is published (to the respondents) – the names can also be identical. You can also select the primary language for the respondents, i.e. which language the basic options should use (next page, back, end of survey …). In order to create a short survey, click on the option 'Survey'. If you wish to create a form, click on the option 'Form', while for voting you must click on the option 'Voting'.

When you select the desired survey type (Survey), you will be automatically redirected to a page where you can edit the survey, choose from the different types of questions, and later, when you have finished collecting data, can also access the data and the analysis.

To start with, you have the option of setting socio-demographic questions, which are already pre-set in the 1KA tool. These questions are standard and are used in scientific research. The selected demographic variables can be included in the questionnaire by ticking the box next to the desired variables. 1KA positions the selected socio-demographic questions into a separate block at the end of the questionnaire. Each variable comes in various types – you can select the desired question type in the 'Edit question' sub-tab. All possible question types are found in the dropdown menu in the upper right corner of the question editor. Select the chosen type and click 'Close'.

If you don't like the default Introduction, you can simply change it by clicking on the text and enter your own introduction. The introduction should not be too long but should serve to persuade the respondent to complete the survey. For more information on how to effectively write an introduction, consult our recommendations for writing the survey introduction.

Different types of questions are available on the left side of the screen, which can be easily inserted into your questionnaire. If you navigate the mouse over each question type, an example of the question formation is displayed. The questions can then be dragged and dropped to the desired position in the survey, or you can simply click on the question type, and the question will appear automatically at the bottom of the survey.

2. TESTING YOUR SURVEY

The 'TEST' – 'Diagnostics' tab warns you of any possible mistakes and offers recommendations to improve your survey. You can include Comments and Automatic entries in your survey. Comments are only available in the 3KA package. You can test the survey with the test entries icon, which can be found to the left of the survey URL and in the 'PUBLISH' – 'Settings' tab.

3. PUBLISHING YOUR SURVEY

When the survey has been successfully created, click on the 'PUBLISH' tab, where you can activate your survey and access the survey URL. More >>

By clicking on the 'Activate' option, which is found on the left side of the screen, the survey becomes active. A new window will appear; by default, the survey will be active for a period of three months, but the time period can be adjusted in the 'Activities settings can be changed here' option. You can set the start and end date of the survey activity or choose to make the survey permanent. In addition to the time limit, you can also set a response limit or quota here. More >>

Survey activation is also possible above, to the right of the survey URL, by clicking the OFF button.

4. DATA REVIEW

In the 'DATA' tab, you can review the collected data, and can also review the answers for each individual unit with the 'Insight' option. By default, only valid units (i.e. units where the questionnaire was partly or fully completed) are displayed. The collected data can be exported in text format or into SPSS and Excel. Data export is only available to 2KA and 3KA private package users. More >>

5. OVERVIEW OF ANALYSIS

The 1KA tool merely generates tables according to the chosen question type. In the 'ANALYSE' – 'Statistics' tab, only basic statistical analyses are displayed, such as frequency, percent, number of units, etc. 2KA and 3KA private package users also have the option of advanced analysis. More >>

The 'ANALYSE' – 'Charts' tab allows access to the graphic presentation of data. Charts are only available to 2KA and 3KA private package users. The chart type is selected based on the question type, which you can also change. The colour of the charts can also be modified. More >>

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Granting Survey Access to 1KA Helpdesk

Protecting user data is one of 1KA's top priorities. Access to data is limited to the author (editor) of the survey and additional co-editors, which are added by the author of the survey.

1KA's helpdesk and the website administrator of www.1KA.si do not have access to surveys and data without the explicit consent of the user.

In case the user requires assistance from 1KA’s administrators, the user must grant temporary access to 1KA's helpdesk (until the issue is resolved). Despite granted access, administrators are still committed to the highest standards of privacy protection, as defined in the Terms of Use.

Each survey has an icon in the top left corner which enables you to grant access to 1KA's helpdesk and administrators. You have to click 'Grant access to help centre'.

Grant access to help centre