Why are surveys one of the most common methods used in PR research? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using surveys?

Surveys are popular for many reasons: their capacity to reach a large sample of a desired group of people,their low cost,their wide geographic distribution,the analytical data they generate,and the ease of execution via software solutions on the Internet or via mobile or email.Phone or in-person surveys allow for immediate results.In all surveys,you can ask both closed questions (multiple choice,yes / no,true / false)and open-ended questions that allow for individual statements.The facility of survey data to make correlations can help to better define publics.The anonymity and structure of surveys help to encourage participation.The disadvantages of the survey method are that the people who choose to respond only represent a sample of your public,and you will omit hard-to-reach respondents.Likewise,responses may not be entirely truthful,and the survey itself may be flawed if not properly designed and worded.