ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the issues when engaging in survey research in the context of political communication. Political communication scholars employ survey research as a primary tool for assessing attitudes, cognitions, and behaviors relevant to both politics and communication. The chapter outlines both the benefits and drawbacks for political communication scholars in employing telephone, mail, face-to-face, and the Internet modes. It also examines current issues in survey research, such as the increasing number of cell-phone-only households and the ubiquity of Web surveys. While there are numerous conceptual and methodological issues to consider when measuring media use through survey research, the chapter focuses on the following: attention versus exposure measures; the importance of measurement specificity; and recent recommendations for measurement. Political communication scholars should be particularly attentive to issues of social desirability as in responses to media use or voting behavior and employ interviewer-free designs in order to discourage over reporting.
