SURVEY REPORT

SURVEY REPORT

Reminder

A survey report is a piece of academic writing based on research.
Its aim is to present the results of the research in an understandable and engaging manner.

Survey Report Structure

Writing Introduction
■ Introduction must accurately describe how the survey was conducted, so that the reader will not doubt the validity of its results. If the word count permits, it is advisable to describe the questionnaire used.

Useful language
■ To describe a survey Past Tense is usually used.
— This survey was carried out / conducted to find out / examine…
— The purpose / aim of this survey was…
— This survey aimed to / at + verb / -ing
— This report presents the findings of the survey…
— … (number) respondents answered (number) questions on …
— The survey was conducted by means of …
— The survey / questionnaire was concerned / dealt with
■ Sample Introduction
In September 2019, a survey was conducted among 3,057 respondents aged 10–18 in 52 Russian regions. The purpose of the study done by Mikhailov & Partners Analytics was to find out the interests and concerns of Russian schoolchildren. The survey was conducted by means of an online
multi-choice questionnaire. The questions covered a wide range of issues: politics, the environment, education, social media, family life.

Writing Main Body
Writing the main body follows a thorough analysis of the data. Analysis of the data broken down into groups should reveal the most significant results, as well as unexpected ones, both of which need accurate presentation in the main body.

NB Main Body presents data,
NOT conclusions or trends which may emerge from its analysis!

In presenting these results the writer can either
1. give the data and conclude with a more general statement.
e.g. In the most central municipalities, 27 per cent of men aged 20–59 live alone, and the corresponding figure for women in the same municipalities is 17 per cent. The most remote municipalities have a large surplus of single men aged 20–59, with two out of ten men living alone but only one out of ten women living alone, This suggests that one-person households
for both genders are more common in cities and central municipalities than in more remote municipalities.
2. start with a more general statement and support it with data.
e.g. One-person households are more common in cities and central municipalities than in more remote municipalities, both for men and women. In the most central municipalities, 27 per cent of men aged 20–59 live alone, and the corresponding figure for women in the same municipalities is 17 per cent. The most remote municipalities have a large surplus of single men aged 20–59, with two out of ten men living alone but only one out of ten women living alone.

To make generalisations more precise it is advisable to use ‘quantity’ words (but it is also advisable to give exact figures in brackets):

e.g. A vast majority of young people polled (88%) claim they have up to 200 social media friends.
A very small number / very few (4%) claim they have up to 1000.

Writing numbers
■ In technical writing, survey report including, percentages are written as a figure followed by % symbol (no space between, e.g. 15%)
■ In general writing, the word percent is usually used; the number can be a word or a figure. In case of decimal write it as a figure:
15 percent = fifteen percent, BUT 15.5%
■ Write numbers in a consistent fashion: e.g. choose 20 or twenty, and stick with your choice.
■ Large numbers are difficult to grasp. Use the words million, billion or trillion.
Instead of 3,657,218, write ‘about 3.7 million’.

Useful language
■ Present Tenses and Reported Speech are used to present the data in Main Body
— It has been found that…
— There is a (slight / big / considerable, etc.) increase / rise / decrease / fall in ….
— One-third / two-thirds / a quarter / half / about half of the respondents / students / etc. said that …
— Twenty-five percent / a large percentage / a small percentage of respondents stated / claimed that…
— Several / a significant number of respondents commented / agreed / suggested /etc. that…

Writing Conclusion
Conclusion is where the writer sums up the most significant and interesting results and makes their
suggestions as to more general trends that appear to emerge.
■ Recommendations are given only if the report was commissioned with this aim in view.
Otherwise recommendations are inappropriate.
■ In interpreting the results the writer should use cautious language.

Cautious language

Useful language
■ To draw conclusions Present Tense is used.
— The fi ndings indicate / reveal / show / suggest that…
— From the results of the survey, it appears that…
— According to the findings, it is clear / evident that…
— It is not easy to reach any definite conclusions…
— If any conclusions can be drawn from the data, …
— All things considered…
— To sum up, …
■ Sample Conclusion
According to the findings, it is evident that there are gender differences in cultural preferences. More women than men go to the theatre, opera, art museums and libraries. The majority of men favour sporting events and technical museums, while women tend to prefer musical events.
However, going to the cinema appears to be equally popular with men and women; the same is true of TV watching. On the whole, women are most keen to take up cultural offers regardless of their age.