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A short questionnaire on foraging for my dissertation

Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 3:03 pm
by woodland_wilf
Hello I am a student studying Countryside Management at Aberystwyth University, and as part of my dissertation I am conducting a study to look at people’s activity involving foraging and the use of wild plants. Would you mind helping me by answering a few questions?
I guarantee that all of your answers will be completely confidential.
questionnaire can be found at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16txfzb ... U/viewform


thank you soo much for your time

Re: A short questionnaire on foraging for my dissertation

Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 5:48 pm
by GeorgeSalt
Just a couple of questions..

Most surveys would only need age ranges, rather than specifics. I'm sure you're bulking up your data into ranges at a later stage of analysis.

You have questions for why you forage and why you don't forage, is it one or the other or both sections to be completed - there are things I forage for (fruit, nuts, leaves) and things I don't (funghi), I've assumed you've meant both sections to be completed.

Ine the foraging resources question, several of the answers could apply rather than just one. I doubt I'm unusual in that I'll use personaly knowledge when I'm confident but refer to am indentification book or an expert when I'm not.

In the produce section you use "liquor", do you mean home distillation of hard spirits (which is to all intents and purposes illegal in the UK), or the production of flavoured liqueurs?

How is "food" distinct from any of the categories that follow?

If you can clarify these I'll happily complete the survey, and I hope you'll be returning to share your results and findings.


(ps. I'm not sure how you're marketing the survey, but there are a variety of forums that would be suitable if you have a means of accounting for sample bias - a couple I can think of are heavily skewed towards homebrewing)

Re: A short questionnaire on foraging for my dissertation

Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 6:06 pm
by woodland_wilf
GeorgeSalt wrote:Just a couple of questions..

Most surveys would only need age ranges, rather than specifics. I'm sure you're bulking up your data into ranges at a later stage of analysis.

You have questions for why you forage and why you don't forage, is it one or the other or both sections to be completed - there are things I forage for (fruit, nuts, leaves) and things I don't (funghi), I've assumed you've meant both sections to be completed.

Ine the foraging resources question, several of the answers could apply rather than just one. I doubt I'm unusual in that I'll use personaly knowledge when I'm confident but refer to am indentification book or an expert when I'm not.

In the produce section you use "liquor", do you mean home distillation of hard spirits (which is to all intents and purposes illegal in the UK), or the production of flavoured liqueurs?

How is "food" distinct from any of the categories that follow?

If you can clarify these I'll happily complete the survey, and I hope you'll be returning to share your results and findings.


(ps. I'm not sure how you're marketing the survey, but there are a variety of forums that would be suitable if you have a means of accounting for sample bias - a couple I can think of are heavily skewed towards homebrewing)

thanks for this feedback
in relation to your questions
I will be dividing the ages up into ranges later but as I have already received some results I don't want to change the format now

for the forage or not I've intended on one or the other and most of the people that have answered so far have done one or the other but feel free to answer both if you have answers for both

In the foraging resources put what your most confident with (so if in general when foraging for that group of things you use own knowledge put that but if more often use a book put that)

for liqueur yes I did mean flavoured liqueurs

for food and drink I was wanting people to tick food and then the specific food and likewise for drink as to be able to see straight off the number which collect primarily for food and for drink but then to also look at more specifics

Thank you so much for your help and and for peoples continued replies
once I have finished my dissertation and and handed it in etc. to uni I will post a link to the completed project so that those interested can take a look

Thanks again for your time in giving me answers to my questionnaire

Re: A short questionnaire on foraging for my dissertation

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:32 pm
by Thomzo
Done - good luck with the dissertation.

Zoe

Re: A short questionnaire on foraging for my dissertation

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 3:02 pm
by Broad Bean
Done although I found the final section on what I do with the foraged products a bit confusing - one option was food and another was food other? Anyway, hope it's OK :)

Re: A short questionnaire on foraging for my dissertation

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 1:04 pm
by Skippy
Done and submitted. I've included in the "other" section some comments about foraging for discarded man made objects as I still consider that foraging shouldn't be purely for things that grow.


Pete

Re: A short questionnaire on foraging for my dissertation

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 4:00 pm
by clanpowell
Done, good luck with the write up.

Re: A short questionnaire on foraging for my dissertation

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:41 pm
by Sally Jane
Done. Would you consider posting some feedback about what your respondants do? I would be quite interested to know the age range, places, uses etc. Dead nosy, me! Good luck with your dissertation.

Re: A short questionnaire on foraging for my dissertation

Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:28 pm
by woodland_wilf
for those wanting to see the results of the questionnaire a spreadsheet containing the results can be found at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing

and once my dissertation has been completed, handed in and returned to me I will provide a link to it so that people browse it if they wish too

cheers again for all the responses