If a survey is conducted telephonically, which among the following statements is true?

The correct option is: It reduces the cost of data collection.

To understand why this statement is true, let us evaluate the nature of telephonic surveys compared to other traditional methods of data collection, such as face-to-face personal interviews or mailed questionnaires:

1. Cost-Effectiveness (The Correct Answer):
Conducting a survey over the telephone significantly reduces costs because it eliminates the need for field researchers to travel to different geographical locations to meet participants. There are no expenses associated with transportation, physical printing of questionnaires, postage, or logistics. Researchers can contact a large and geographically diverse sample of participants from a central location, making it a highly economical method of data collection.

2. Evaluation of Other Options:
• It improves quality of data: Telephonic surveys do not necessarily improve data quality. In fact, they may suffer from lack of visual aids, shorter respondent attention spans, and higher hang-up rates, which can compromise quality compared to in-depth in-person interviews.
• It improves the validity of research: Validity depends on how well the instrument measures what it claims to measure. Conducting a survey via phone does not inherently make the research design or tool more valid. In fact, it might introduce coverage bias if certain segments of the population do not have accessible phone lines.
• It makes participants comfortable: While some participants prefer the anonymity of a phone call over a face-to-face interaction, telephonic surveys can often be perceived as intrusive, unwanted (similar to telemarketing), or inconvenient, which does not necessarily make participants feel comfortable.

Therefore, the primary and most definitive advantage of a telephonic survey among the given options is that it reduces the cost of data collection.