Just like other forms of academic writing, the survey report contains these basic parts: introduction, body, and conclusion.
This part of the survey report contains information regarding the writer/researcher’s purpose for conducting the survey and the time and manner of gathering the data. The introduction should answer why the survey was conducted; who were involved in the study; who conducted the survey; when it was carried out; and how it was carried out. All of this information is summed up in the introductory statement. For example:
In the summer of academic year 2017-2018, 899 respondents were involved in the survey using a questionnaire to determine their academic consultation habits and practices, as well as their insights about the current academic consultation practice at MC University.
Here are some typical phrases and expressions found in the introduction of most survey reports:
The purpose of this survey report is to identify the causes of depression among selected senior high school students.
It is the aim of the survey report to…
This survey report hopes to…
This survey was carried out to identify the reasons why incidents of juvenile delinquency are high among selected senior high school students.
This survey was conducted by means of the questionnaire to find answers to this question: what are the most popular apps used by millennials?
The body of the survey report contains all the information collected during the survey research process which has been tabulated, analyzed, and explained.
When you write survey reports, you are required to classify your data to make sense of them. For instance, you need to classify and divide your respondents in terms of their demographics. In the Explore section of this lesson, you were asked to conduct a mini-survey to determine the Internet use of your classmates. In analyzing the data, you might wish to classify and divide them according to age, gender, and academic track. If your questionnaire includes information about the respondents’ hobbies or interests, you might wish to trace the correlation between their frequency of Internet use and their interests or hobbies. When you include this information, use subheadings and separate tables to explain each set of findings. Well-formatted tables help in presenting your findings more efficiently and clearly. Graphs are also very useful in simplifying and effectively communicating statistical information in pictorial form.
Some typical phrases and expressions found in the main body of survey reports include:
On the whole, this survey involves bo% of the entire senior high school graduating class.
In practice, researchers have sought to determine if a correlation exists between two variables—in this case between the respondents’ hobbies and Internet use.
The concluding part of the survey report is where all the collected information is summed up and further analyzed and discussed. In addition, a recommendation may be added to enhance the worth of the survey report and to address the implications cited in the survey report.
Here are some typical phrases that you may use in your conclusion:
To sum up, this survey shows that it’s not only genetic predisposition that causes millennials to be vulnerable to depression.
It is clear that juvenile delinquency is on the rise, and will continue to rise with the advent of modernization and all its attendant ills.
If any conclusion may be drawn from the data, it is to point to the fundamental role of parents in the rearing of their children.
The survey indicates that Internet use among millennials will continue both in frequency and intensity in the coming years.
For a clearer example, read the following survey report:
Survey of Internet Use among Selected Senior High School Students
A team of English faculty from MC University conducted a survey among selected Senior High School students during the special term of academic year 2017-2018. The aim of the survey was to determine aspects pertaining to their Internet use.
The questionnaire was used to conduct the survey which consisted of two parts: the first part consisted of questions about the respondents’ demographics including age, gender, academic track; the second part consisted of questions about the number of years spent as Internet user; reasons for using the Internet, the preferred location for Internet use; web browser, type of Internet connection, and apps that they frequently use.
The survey yielded the followed results: one-third of all respondents, or 33.3% used the Internet less than 9 hours per week, while two-thirds, or 67% used it more than 9 hours per week. The survey also revealed that while one-third of the respondents or 33.3% still use dial up, broadband is the typical connectivity mode. The survey also revealed that Internet usage was male-dominated, with 61% of the male respondents using it more frequently than the female students, who registered a 39% Internet usage.
If any conclusions may be drawn from the data, they are as follows: The use of the Internet will continue to be strong among these groups even after senior high school as broadband and Internet connectivity improve. It is safe to presume that the heavy usage from the STEM and HUMSS tracks also correlates with their Research subject; users with two years of research 3 courses were on the Internet more frequently than their other counterparts.