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Program tool 19. Tips for interviewing and surveying members

Who should conduct the interviews or administer the surveys?

People are generally not comfortable expressing any dissatisfaction with programs or activities with the program organizers. Therefore, it is best to have an independent third party administer the surveys or do the interviews. This could be a volunteer, a staff member not affiliated with the program, or a person not affiliated with your organization. A commonly used strategy for administering surveys is to provide an envelope and ask the respondent to seal it and drop it in a box or leave it at a reception desk.

Who should you interview or survey?

You should interview or survey as many members who are active participants in your centre as is feasible with your resources. Since Active Independent Aging is designed to help you to change knowledge and attitudes, to increase levels of active living, and to reduce exposure to risk factors for falls, you will want to interview or survey members who are regulars in your centre. Those who attend on a regular basis will have had opportunities to be exposed to the changes in your centre and in your programs and activities.

From this group of regular members, you may want to ensure that the sample of people you choose includes:

• Members who were active in the programs that you developed using this Guide
• Members were active but dropped out
• Members who never participated

Interviewing or surveying those who did not participate in programs or who dropped out of programs will help you to understand:

• Why people may have dropped out of programs and why they never signed up to begin with. This information can help with future programming.
• What impact changes that you made to your surroundings had on members, including those who did not participate in any formal activities or programs.

How do you select which members to interview or survey?

Select people who have different needs, opinions and views. Several strategies to do this include:

• Random sample. Put all of your regular members’ names in a hat and pull out some names of people to be interviewed or surveyed. This should give you a fair and unbiased range of opinions.
• Matched sample. Choose a member who was active in your program or activity, and another of the same gender and similar age but who was not active in the program or activity. This way you can compare the viewpoints and experiences of these two groups.
• Inclusive sample. Interview or survey everyone who participated in your program or activity, and everyone who either dropped out or who never signed up. This gives you the broadest range of opinions and experiences.

Whatever method you use to decide who to interview or survey, the key is to make sure that you have a good representation of members who will be able to help you identify what you are doing well, and where you could improve.

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