ABSTRACT
Research conducted within criminal justice organisations often utilises surveys to measure employees’ perceptions of their work environments. Surveys provide a relatively time-efficient and cost-effective means for collecting data from large samples representative of the overall workforce (Kelley et al., 2003). They are extremely versatile: several facets of work can be assessed in a single survey and numerous statistical analyses are available to interpret the data (Eatough and Spector, 2013). Surveys have been employed to answer numerous research questions, for example:
The relative importance of generic versus occupation-specific predictors of work engagement and psychological strain experienced by Australian correctional employees (Brough and Biggs, 2015).
The effect of involvement in a major disaster relief effort on work-related attitudes and well-being experienced by Australian police officers (Biggs et al., 2014b).
Gender differences in the relationship between sex discrimination and sexual harassment on psychological strain experiences by UK police employees (Brown et al., 1995).
Attitudes to punishment within England and Wales assessed via the British Crime Survey, conducted with a nationally representative sample of respondents (Hough and Roberts, 1998).
Despite their utility and versatility, surveys are frequently misused and overused, limiting their capacity to provide high-quality data to support organisational initiatives. In this chapter we initially outline the basic process to follow when conducting survey research in criminal justice occupations, followed by a brief discussion of common pitfalls associated with this research method.