An Introduction to Survey Research in Urban China

Abstract

As more researchers are using public opinion surveys to study China, Western readers constantly question the credibility of survey data coming out of China. This research guide introduces the survey process in urban China, noting potential problems and offering useful solutions. The intention is not to provide a comprehensive discussion of all the steps necessary for undertaking survey research in China, but rather to offer an introductory overview for the non-specialist. The five main sections of this research guide deal, respectively, with the development of survey research in post-Mao urban China, the political difficulties-and their solutions-in conducting an urban survey, a step-by-step guide to drawing an urban sample, the ways in which the survey quality can be improved in terms of quality control and survey data, and how to increase the cross-country comparability of the survey and use existing Chinese survey data in data comparability and analysis. Not emphasized in this guide are common concerns in survey research, such as the possible biases in designing survey questions and conducting face-to-face interviews, which can be found in standard survey handbooks.