Explain the purpose and advantages of survey research designs.
The main advantages of using descriptive survey research designs to collect primary data from respondents are large sample sizes are possible; generalizability of results; ability to distinguish small differences between diverse sampled groups; ease of administering; and the ability to identify and measure factors that are not directly measurable (such as customer satisfaction). In contrast, disadvantages of descriptive survey research designs include the difficulty of developing accurate survey instruments, inaccuracy in construct definition and scale measurement, and limits to the depth of the data that can be collected.