Pilot survey
Also called: Pre-testing · Topic: Economic Data: Census, NSS, Surveys and Statistical Tools · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "Collection of Data"
Meaning
A pilot survey, also called pre-testing, is a small try-out of the questionnaire before the full survey begins. It shows up weak or confusing questions and unclear instructions. It also tests how well the enumerators (the trained data collectors) perform, and it estimates the cost and time of the main survey. Fixing problems at this stage saves money and reduces errors later.
Example
Before surveying 300 households about a rise in petrol prices, a researcher first tries the questions on 10 households. Some people misread one question, so the researcher rewrites it before the main survey.
Related concepts
- Primary data
- Secondary data
- Survey
- Variable
- Observation
- Questionnaire
- Enumerator
- Informant
- Closed-ended question
- Open-ended question