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The response rates suggested in earlier versions of this article were very generous and not what is typically achieved in the field, using the AAPOR definitions of response rate.

• The response rates vary wildly accross the different countries. In Finland, where I work as a statistical interviewer in Statistics Finland[[1]], we consistently achieve 70% response rate in telephone surveys with consumer respondents and over 90% when places of businessess are being surveyed. The relative response rates of different types of surveys stay comparatively same irregardless of country (i.e. surveys via mail get a lower response rate compared to telephone interviews). I'll put a link to those numbers on the talk page, for the case if someone thinks those points are worth being mentioned. It would be highly misleading to only include the situation in USA and to assume it's wide applicibility all over the world. Santtus 10:34, 29 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Graduate program listings

Are there really only a handful of graduate programs in this field as listed in this article? Or is this list a random collection of a handful of programs? If it's only a small sampling, I'd like someone to explain why these particular programs are listed. If there is no other reason other than "These are the ones random Wikipedians have added" then I would like to delete the entire section. It's unencyclopediac and smacks of self promotion on the part of these institutions. --ElKevbo 21:28, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

I believe there are very few graduate programs specifically in survey methodology worldwide. Of course there are many, especially in statistics or the social sciences, that offer a few courses/papers on the subject. From what I could tell (not being able to read Dutch), the Utrecht program was of this sort, so I have deleted it from the list. The one glaring omission (IMO) was Southampton's Social Statistics program, which I have added. -- Avenue 00:05, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, it seems I was too hasty about the Utrecht program. Delving a bit deeper, I found these links [2] [3] which make it clear that the program does cover survey methodology in depth. I have restored the program to our list. -- Avenue 01:15, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Here is a list of relevant degree programs from the American Statistical Association.[4] It has a few more than our list, but not many. The only programs they list from outside the US and Canada are Southampton and Hebrew University. -- Avenue 14:10, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

Can we get some criteria for this list? The Southampton course you listed is in social statistics. Should we also include courses at Essex (home of the UK Data Archive and many surveys and methods courses)[5], and Manchester (home of the Centre for Census and Survey Research[6])? Surrey[7]? City University[8]? All of whom are strong on statistics and surveys, but (like Southampton) don't have particular degrees in Survey. I think the list of degrees in social statistics could be quite long. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 14:53, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

The only description of that list I can see is online here:

'A group of faculty involved in the various grad programs in survey statistics and methodology at American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) assembled a list of "Universities and Colleges with Degree Programs in Survey Methodology."'

I think Southampton's MSc in Official Statistics is clearly relevant, and I think there could be a good case for the Statistics Pathway in their MSc in Social Statistics, but its Research Methods Pathway seems less clear. Of its nine compulsory units, only five seem clearly survey or statistics related from their titles.

I don't think every social statistics program would be relevant to this article, although the Manchester one looks good. But there seems to be a danger of original research creeping in here. Should we decide on some criteria we can use to expand the list, and make it a separate page if it gets too long? Or should we just try to find a European equivalent of the ASA's list and link to both, then delete our list? By the way, there is a similar list in our Sampling (statistics) article. -- Avenue 23:23, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

Attention Editors I've removed this **Example Online Surveys are here. Looks like spam for a commercial survey software. - there is free survey software available. ie surveymonkey.