Data Design

Running head: DATA DESIGN
Data Design
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DATA DESIGN
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Components and structure of the survey.........................................................................................3
Positive features of the survey.........................................................................................................4
Limitation of the research study......................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7
Survey Questionnaire (Schoettle and Sivak 2014)..........................................................................8

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DATA DESIGN
Introduction
Collection and analysis of information have a substantial importance in the research
studies. The fundamental aspect of any information is the relevance of it in the desired research
study. Information collected to conduct the research activity is classified into primary and
secondary data. As explained by Sekaran and Bougie (2016), primary data is defined as the
information, which is obtained from the study field by the means of interviews, surveys, focus
groups, observation, feedback methods etc. On the other hand, secondary data is referred to the
information, which is gathered from genuine secondary sources and publications, such as, books,
journals, official websites of organizations, government publications and reports, online libraries,
and leading newspapers and magazines etc. Both the data types are very important and based on
the nature of the topic, the researcher decides which data type would be most suitable to get the
desired outcome.
There are various different methods for collecting first hand data, that is, primary data.
Among those, survey method is the most effective, credible and most commonly used process of
data collection. In the survey process of information collection, the researcher first chooses a
sample from the larger population using relevant probability or non-probability sampling
technique. A sample is a smaller subset of the larger population bearing the similar
characteristics (Peck, Olsen and Devore 2015). The sample is chosen to make estimates about the
particular features of the larger population in the context of the research issue (Bell, Bryman and
Harley 2018). The researchers use this method of data collection quite extensively due to the
reason that survey method is useful for creating data, which is case specific and it provides larger
control on the sample, being studied by the researcher. However, one major drawback of survey

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DATA DESIGN
method is the scope of sampling error, which may lead to a generalized conclusion of the
research issue. Thus, this essay will present a critical discussion on a real survey conducted by
other scholars and evaluate the effectiveness of the survey in conducting the study and also
determine the overall implication for the study. The survey, that will be used for critical analysis
in this essay, was undertaken by Schoettle and Sivak (2014) to investigate the public opinion on
the autonomous and self-driving cars in three countries, namely, Australia, the UK and the USA.
In this critical analysis of the structure of the survey and the underlying logics for the chosen
methods in the study, the researcher would focus on the efficiency of the selected data collection
process to reach the conclusion and would present appropriate recommendation on the choice of
this specific tool for the purpose of forthcoming research.
Components and structure of the survey
The survey that will be considered in this essay consists of a detailed quantitative analysis
of the primary data collected from people belonging to three countries, Australia, UK, and USA.
The key aim of the authors was to investigate and examine the opinion of people in regards to the
autonomous and self-driving cars. The authors chose these three countries due to the reasons that
the people of these nations speak English and the autonomous cars have been launched there,
hence, they had awareness and knowledge on the autonomous cars (Schoettle and Sivak 2014).
The researchers conducted the survey using online tool, SurveyMonkey. The
questionnaire consists of two segments, demographic and non-demographic. The segment
containing demographic questions aimed at evaluating the socio-economic profiles of the survey
respondents. Gender, age, highest education level, current employment level and vehicle type
used by the participants were asked in the demographic part of the survey. These factors gave an