After receiving Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval on Oct. 24, I launched the survey.
I did this by directly recruiting individuals I knew who fit the ideal project population, which are people who live in rural Kansas and work in agriculture-related professions such as farming and ranching.
When I made contact, I asked them to share the survey with 10-15 people they know that would be willing to take the survey, and then I instructed my recruits to ask their recruits to do the same thing when they are done.
This is called a snowball approach to getting survey takers. According to Julia Simkus writing for Simply Psychology, “Snowball sampling is a non-probability sampling method where currently enrolled research participants help recruit future subjects for a study [. . .] This technique is called “snowball” because the sample group grows like a rolling snowball. Non-probability sampling means that researchers, or other participants, choose the sample as opposed to randomly selecting it, so not all members of the population have an equal chance of being selected for the study.”
As such, utilizing this approach helps my survey find people I may not have had a way to contact otherwise, and it separates me from the survey, which will hopefully help get more responses.
Embarking on a project using the snowball sampling method is new to me, but I think it will be beneficial to the study. Time will tell if it actually works, but I’m optimistic.
For now, though, I just wait for any responses to come in. This is the nerve-wracking part. If I can’t get survey responses, the entire plan for this project could unravel.
I have my fingers crossed that such a thing won’t happen.