WS - E - Conducting Community Surveys

Appendix D. Costs Telephone surveys are the least expensive way to get reliable survey information. But there are costs involved. Costs vary from one place to another, but you should be able to predict costs by examining the following cost factors & Personnel & telephone callers and supervisors. To save money, some police agencies use volunteers such as students or seniors or other community members. The number of personnel you need is based, of course, on the sample size you select and the time necessary to conduct a single survey. You will also need personnel to be involved in planning the survey, coordinating survey tasks, analysis, and report preparation. Training & Training of callers and supervisors will require time and staff, and materials. Telephones & Each caller needs a telephone. Calls can be scheduled for evening hours, thus permitting the use of telephones which may be otherwise used during daytime hours. Space & Sufficient space is necessary for callers and their necessary equipment. You may have space available within the police agency or elsewhere in local government. For at least a portion of the calls, evening or weekend access to buildings will be necessary. Computers & Windows-based PCs for recording survey information. One computer per caller. Software & There is a small cost associated with the survey software. You will also need software such as SPSS or SAS for any sophisticated analysis. Although the CVS includes some standardized report features, these are limited. Contractual services & You should include costs for any assistance you may need with sampling, making calls, or analyzing data. These costs may vary from enough to carry out the entire survey task to nothing, if you have the expertise in-house. 24 A Practical Guide for Police