SURVEY  QUESTIONS & GUIDELINES

 

1)  Pick only one set of questions to ask one interviewee.  I will look with favor on adding a couple of your own questions. All interviewees should retain the right to be anonymous if they request so.  Also, at the top of your report give your name, the type of survey you're doing (race,age,ethnicity,etc.), then identify your interviewee (Ms.Johnson, age 68, African American, etc.). 

2)  Remember, your personal opinions or responses are not to be shared with your interviewee during the survey.  Only after the survey is complete, if they ask you, off the record, you can answer.  We as Sociologists are distant objective observers, trying not to slant or influence our research. 

3) One approach to writing the survey is to comment on each one of their responses, as a Sociologist taking side-notes on the quality of the response, their bias, their passion, their nonverbal communication, their perceived knowledge or ignorance on the subject, etc.  Another approach is to simply state their responses ver batim (word for word), though paraphrasing for long answers is often required.  In this case follow the questions and answers with one long paragraph summary at the end on what you personally learned from doing this survey, commenting on their responses, the issue, or both. 

4) You may need to reword/rephrase a question if they don't understand it.  You may have to define for example what we mean in Social Science by "ethnicity" or “subculture”.  With just one or two exceptions, don't allow them to get away with one word or one sentence answers, pull more out if you can.  A common follow up question to short answers can be "How So?" or "Can you elaborate?".   The survey should be somewhere between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 pages (double spaced-typed; 3 Pages Max!).  Quality almost always counts over quantity.  But don't stress too much over this assignment, instead, have some fun with it.  Learn from another's experiences, that's what it's all about.

5) Turn in this assignment in class by the due date.  For Online Students, a special “assignments” link will pop-up in iCollege 2 or 3 weeks before the deadline.  Face-to-face classes will turn theirs in to the instructor in class.

 

For a person of different Ethnicity than your own:  (to qualify their 1st or 2nd language must not be American English)

Remember, we're talking about people with a strong sense of cultural identity (connections to specific language, religion, ancestry/homeland, customs, traditions; spent at least their first 15 years in different country outside the U.S.) (ex. Italian-American, Mexican, Vietnamese-American, Native American, Russian-American, etc.)

1) What is your ethnicity (cultural background)?  2) How much of your personal identity is based in your ethnicity?  3) What sort of behavior or activities (customs,traditions,religious events) do you engaged in that represent your ethnicity?  4) What do you think about a "melting-pot" America (cultural diversity melting together becoming more alike or as one)?  Do you resent the Melting-Pot (everyone being more or less alike) or embrace it? 5) How much history of your ethnic group are you knowledgeable of, or aware of?  6) Have you experienced any discrimination/prejudice based on your ethnicity? - if yes, give examples; if not, why do you think that is so?

 

For a person of a different "Race" than your own:  (make sure we talking racial differences here, not ethnicity)

Only "races" applicable to this survey are "Blacks" and "Whites" (ie. African-Americans & Euro-Americans)

1) How do you identify yourself, racially speaking?  2) How strong is your identity or kinship to your racial affiliation?  3) Science tells us that "race" only exists in the minds of people; that there is no real significant physiological/biological differences between "races" to make any real difference; would you agree with that?  4) Do you think racial relations have improved over recent decades?  5) (if the interviewee is a person of color- non"white") Do you experience any racial discrimination in your daily life? if so, in what way?  (if the interviewee is "white") Have you been socialized in any way to feel superior to people of color by family, friends, or other means? - if yes, how has this affected your attitude toward people of color? 6) Why do racial categories seem so real to many people in American society? 7) What do you think about Affirmative Action for minority groups in general?  8) Do you support interracial marriage? Why?

 

For a person of a different Age Generation than your own: 

Record your age and the age of your interviewee (cannot use your parents or your children; person must be 30 years or older than yourself; extended family members like grandparents/uncles/aunts/etc. are okay)

1) What are some basic differences in generational culture that you notice between your generation and my generation?  2) Do you believe all changes in science and technology that have developed over the last 25 years have improved our society?  3) Do you think younger generations have become more or less moral/ethical than previous generations, or about the same?  4) (Do you feel the elderly are discriminated in any way based in their age in society?  Are the elderly generally disrespected and/or neglected in our society?  5) Should we continue to support, decrease, or increase elder care in terms of Social Security and Medicare?  6) Have you noticed a change in priorities and attitudes about your world as you've gotten older?

 

For person of different Sexual Orientation than your own:(heterosexual interviewer and a homosexual or bisexual interviewee)(If you're gay,lesbian,or bisexual create your own set of questions to a "straight" person inquiring as to the source of homophobia and discrimination)(If they are transgender/transsexual, which is an extreme case where a "woman is trapped in a man's body" or vice versa; then create questions that draw out that frustration or adaptation to this mismatched situation they find themselves in).  First label the person's sexual orientation. 

1) How far "out of the closet" are you concerning your sexual orientation? If so, when did you "come out"?  2) Have you been shunned/ostracized by any family or friends because of your sexual orientation?  3) How do you feel about the level of acceptance in "straight" society for people of different sexual orientations?  4) Do you feel things are improving with regard to tolerance of sexual orientations outside of heterosexuality? 5) Sociologist have found that staying "in the closet" can have one set of problems for the individual, and "coming out" has another set of problems; can you comment on that? 
6) How do feel about recent debates over Gay/Lesbian marriages?; or should the approach of Civil Unions and the legal protection they offer suffice?

 

For interviewing a person of a different Sex & Gender (male-female/feminine-masculine; husband/wives & boyfriends/girlfriends are not allowed):

First label the relationship, ex. interviewer-male/interviewee-female.

1) Some Sociologists/Psychologists have stated that men and women seem to come from different planets (Mars/Venus) socially and psychologically speaking; how much would you agree with this? - please give examples.  2) Do you feel you really understand the other sex? - elaborate on your answer.  3)  It is generally agreed by most Social Scientists that women in most of the world, including the U.S., are a minority group and treated by men as such.  Do you agree? and why?  4) Popular Psychology talks about individuals getting in touch with their feminine (or masculine) side.  Do you think that is necessary or important, or should a "man be a man" and a "woman be a woman" with fairly strict gender roles to play in society?  5) If you are raising a child, or will in the future, will (are) you raise(-ing) them differently depending on whether they were a boy or a girl? - explain.