STAT6000: Designing a Short Survey for Public Health Demographics

This assignment focuses on designing a short telephone survey to gather demographic characteristics of individuals within a local community health service's catchment area, distinguishing between those who utilize the service and those who do not. Part 1 discusses potential sources of population data, such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics, schools, universities, and offices, for participant selection, outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each source. It also details the chosen sampling method, emphasizing a random sample to ensure equal probability of participation and addresses the limitations of recruiting participants through institutional channels. Part 2 presents a sample survey script, including questions about age, gender, marital status, education level, employment status, household income, household size, and frequency of visits to the local community health service, along with reasons for those visits and a recommendation rating for the service.

Part 1
I will use a random sample for the area which I would like to conduct the survey. One of the
sources I will use is the Australian Bureau of Statistics. One of the advantages of this lists is that
it is credible and has been vetted to represent a sample which can be used for the survey. A
disadvantage is that I may be involved in sieving through large volumes of data which may take
a lot of time and may be cumbersome. Another population source would be schools and
universities where I can interview individuals from a certain age bracket. Also I may use offices
as sources of population for my research. The advantage of using the institutions is that I might
be able to have a wider population pool with easy effort. The disadvantage would be the
receptivity of the survey since some might think it is related to the institution or employment and
may not give truthful information Mendenhall & Boudreau, 2016).
I will use a random sample because I will give each of the participants equal probability if
having the characteristics which I chose to investigate. In order to recruit participants, I will have
to speak to the manager of an institution and ask for permission to have a random sample of
participants from a class or office. The limitation of recruiting participants with this approach is
that it might limit the level of randomized approach which I would like the data set to have
(Norway, 2016).
Part 2
.
Hello, my name is ______________________. I am with _____________________.

I am conducting a brief survey to support a health study
The survey should take about 15 minutes. Do you have time now or should I call you again at a
later time?
1) How old are you?
 17 or younger
 18-20
 21-29
 30-39
 40-49
 50-59
 60 or older
2) What is your gender?
 Female
 Male
 Other (specify)
3) What is your marital status

 Married
 Widowed
 Divorced
 Separated
 Never married
4) What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you
have received?
 Less than high school degree
 High school degree or equivalent (e.g., GED)
 Some college but no degree
 Associate degree
 Bachelor degree
 Graduate degree
5) Which of the following categories best describes your employment status?
 Fully employed
 Partially employed
 Not employed, looking for work
 Not employed, NOT looking for work

 Retired
 Disabled, not able to work
6) How much total combined money did all members of your household earn in 2010?
 $0 – $9,999
 $10,000 – $19,999
 $20,000 – $29,999
 $30,000 – $39,999
 $40,000 – $49,999
 $50,000 – $59,999
 $60,000 – $69,999
 $70,000 – $79,999
 $80,000 – $89,999
 $90,000 – $99,999
 $100,000 or more
7) How many people do you live with at your home?
8) How many are dependents?
9) How often do you visit the local community health service?

10) Why do you visit the local community health service as much as you do?
11) What are some of the reasons that make you visit the local community health service?
12) I would recommend the local health service to other people (Please select one)
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
disagree
References
Norway, S. (2016). Statistics on population.
Mendenhall, W. M., Sincich, T. L., & Boudreau, N. S. (2016). Statistics for Engineering and the
Sciences, Student Solutions Manual. Chapman and Hall/CRC.