Customer Surveys Are Not Always Accurate: A Conceptual Study

Most of the social science research and studies depend on surveys and the quality of survey data collected. In surveys, the researcher assumes that respondents report what they know and believe honestly and accurately. On the contrary, in sev-eral research studies and occurrences respondents have been found overstating or understating their responses which may or may not be deliberate. This study attempts to review relevant theories and studies and discuss their repercussion on survey measurement. The study found that almost all survey research instruments, all types of interviews including polls and focus groups are open to the risk of inaccurate information. Reliable information can only be acquired by combing various methods like observation, experimentation, multiple sources of data, formal model building and testing, document analysis, and comparison