ABSTRACT
Relatively few people are likely to have the experience of designing a new regular survey from scratch, but many more will have occasion to comment on possible revision to the design of an existing survey, to make a case for repeating a successful one-off survey on a regular or periodic basis, or to specify topics that might be included, on a one-off or permanent basis, in an existing regular survey. Regular surveys are, for the most part, existing and unalterable elements in the social research repertoire. However, it is necessary to be clear about their strengths and limitations as compared with other types of study, in order to assess the merits of, say, carrying out a secondary analysis of existing data from a regular survey or opting for another type of study altogether. The introduction of omnibus surveys (see Chapter 6) makes it easier to conduct regular surveys by inserting a module on a new topic into one of the many commercial or other omnibus surveys.
