UNLV Libraries Survey Fatigue? An Rx for Avoiding the Problem The Overview Presented by Wendy Starkweather, Director of User Services

UNLV Libraries www.library.unlv.edu

Survey Fatigue?Survey Fatigue? An Rx for Avoiding the An Rx for Avoiding the Problem Problem The OverviewThe Overview

Presented byPresented by

Wendy Starkweather, Director of User ServicesWendy Starkweather, Director of User ServicesUNLV LibrariesUNLV Libraries

A Panel Program of the LAMA/MAES A Panel Program of the LAMA/MAES Data Collection for Library Managers CommitteeData Collection for Library Managers Committee

ALA Annual Conference 2007ALA Annual Conference 2007Washington, DCWashington, DCJune 25, 2007June 25, 2007


Survey Fatigue – What Is It?Survey Fatigue – What Is It? A sense of being overwhelmed by the A sense of being overwhelmed by the

ubiquity and frequency of surveys ubiquity and frequency of surveys

•Political SurveysPolitical Surveys•Mass Media SurveysMass Media Surveys•Employee Attitude SurveysEmployee Attitude Surveys•Employer Attitude SurveysEmployer Attitude Surveys•Household SurveysHousehold Surveys•Customer SurveysCustomer Surveys

•Sexual Behavior SurveysSexual Behavior Surveys•Social SurveysSocial Surveys•Health SurveysHealth Surveys•Economics SurveysEconomics Surveys•Library SurveysLibrary Surveys•SLOPSSLOPS


Survey Fatigue – What is it?Survey Fatigue – What is it?

A sense of feeling pressured to respond to A sense of feeling pressured to respond to surveyssurveys

Statistical Education Resource Kithttp://www.stat.psu.edu/~resources/Cartoons/index.htm


Survey Fatigue – What is it?Survey Fatigue – What is it?

A negative A negative response to the response to the inanity of some inanity of some survey survey questionsquestions



Morbid SurveyPublished June 11th, 2007 inAll MySpace Surveys.

(6 votes, average: 3.17 out of 5)

{1} do you ever see garbage bags on the side of the highway and wonder if there are body parts inside?{2} if you ever got the chance to practice cannibalism, would you?{3} if forced to overdose on a drug, which one would you choose?{WOULD YOU RATHER BE…}{4} shot or stabbed?{5} asphixiated or exanguinated?{6} drowned or buried alive?{7} killed by blunt-force trauma to the head or crushed to death?{8} poisoned or overdosed?{9} killed by a flesh-melting virus or by rats or ants slowly pecking at you?


Who is Affected?Who is Affected?

Private citizensPrivate citizens HomeownersHomeowners TravelersTravelers Online ShoppersOnline Shoppers Car buyersCar buyers

StudentsStudents FacultyFaculty EmployeesEmployees Health workersHealth workers LibrariansLibrarians

Practically everyone!Practically everyone!


ImpactImpact

Survey “glut”Survey “glut” Survey repetitionSurvey repetition Low response ratesLow response rates

Rates under 10% increasingly commonRates under 10% increasingly common 50% of all survey responses come from less than 5% 50% of all survey responses come from less than 5%

of the population of the population Advertising AgeAdvertising Age Oct.2. 2006 Oct.2. 2006

False/cursory answersFalse/cursory answers CynicismCynicism


Statistical Education Resource Kithttp://www.stat.psu.edu/~resources/Cartoons/index.htm


Survey Fatigue – What Do We Do Survey Fatigue – What Do We Do About It?About It?

We pay close attention to the next We pay close attention to the next three speakers because they have three speakers because they have some answers …some answers …

Ask lots of questionsAsk lots of questions

Documents

UNLV Libraries Survey Fatigue? An Rx for Avoiding the Problem The Overview Presented by Wendy Starkweather, Director of User Services