Books on survey design and analysis?

July 31, 2007 2:34 PM

I'm looking for books on survey design and statistical analysis.

I need a book that I can keep on my desk that I can use to help me collect and interpret customer opinion data.

I need information about the following: principles of survey design, survey design evaluation, sample bias (and avoiding sample bias), data collection techniques, data presentation techniques, and basic statistical analysis methods. I have a reasonable grasp of undergraduate level mathematics, but I could use a refresher. I can figure out a complex equation with sufficiently motivating surrounding text and a good example.

Preferably this book will be more readable than a textbook. Ideally, it would be accessible and useful to college educated people with a fairly good but not fresh mathematical background. I'd like to be able to refer coworkers to this book whenever I encounter a particularly abominable abuse of statistics.

Any pointers?

posted by crazycanuck to Science & Nature (4 answers total)

The Cartoon Guide to Statistics deals with the “basic statistical analysis” part of your question. It’s more readable than a textbook. I used it in graduate school to jog my memory about concepts I first learned in undergraduate stats courses. The book includes chapters on probability and sampling that might help with some of the survey design topics you mentioned.
posted by ads at 4:02 PM on July 31, 2007

An oldie (and a quickie) but a goody: How To Lie With Statistics.
posted by Sticherbeast at 5:12 PM on July 31, 2007

A good survey design text that I see in virtually every office is "Designing and Conducting Health Surveys: A Comprehensive Guide" by Lu Ann Aday. Most of it is not specialized the health, but covers the basics that you'd be interested in. The readability level is high, and it contains helpful charts and tables on common topics. Will cost you about $60 online.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 5:42 PM on July 31, 2007

This book covers every topic that you mentioned, and, although it is a textbook, is pretty readable.
posted by jtfowl0 at 7:46 AM on August 1, 2007