Survey Research for Public Administrators

In recent years there has been a growing awareness that administrative policy formulations and subsequent performance evaluations cannot rely solely upon economic analysis (e.g., cost-benefit assessments). This realization has produced a broad range of social assessments, emerging under a variety of labels including: evaluation research, social impact analysis, and qualityof-life accounts. Within the context of these social assessments, there is an increased emphasis on subjective indices (e.g., citizen preferences) as well as objective indices (e.g., physical characteristics). As Mark Schneider suggests, subjective measures may be more important than objective measures when assessing the general quality of life.1 While the physical dimensions of a given policy or service industry can be measured through a variety of empirical devices, subjective measurement normally entails some sort of direct contact with the public at large. This contact might involve public hearings, workshops, and/or policy delphi techniques; however, the most direct and potentially the most representative device for subjective assessment is survey research. Thomas Heberlein explains: