Public Opinion Institute (IOM) “Qualitas” offers its clients the facilities of its specialized CATI/CAPI centre. It has all professional equipment for conducting interviews with CATI (computer-assisted telephones interviewing) and CAPI (computer-assisted face to face interviewing).
Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) is a method of data collection by telephone when the interviewer uses the questions provided by a software application and records the answers of a respondent directly into the computer system. CATI software application automates the calls, the recall in case of absence and checks quota. It is able to customize the flow of the questionnaire based on the answers provided, as well as information already known about the participant. In our office there has been opened a separate computer centre equipped with all the necessary facilities. We carry out CATI trainings for interviewers before each project. All CATI interviews are supervised by project managers through the computer system. This helps to eliminate interviewers’ mistakes and to get the top quality survey results.
CATI is a very strong method when it comes to timeliness. It allows to obtain reliable data quickly and efficiently. Also it helps to reduce the costs of study as compared with a face-to-face interview. If CATI survey takes place in a large population aggregate, it can cover quite large sample within the shortest period. Moreover, it gives the opportunity to interview hard-to-reach respondents. This method is also very good for sociological and political research. One more advantage of CATI is the facility to carry out a research promptly in any region of Russia.
However, CATI is not a suitable method when the questionnaire takes more than 10 minutes, presupposes the demonstration of visual materials (e.g. cards with response categories, product and advertising samples etc.) and deals with ticklish problems or ambiguous questions. Also it is not advisable to implement CATI method for data collection in little population aggregates of Russia, because the level of telephones installation there is still quite low which makes the sample unrepresentative.
Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) is an interviewing technique similar to CATI, except that the interview takes place in person instead of over the telephone. The respondent or the interviewer sits in front of a computer and enters the answers into the computer system that has absolute control over the interview process. It keeps track of logic transitions, screening questions and other details which helps to eliminate errors. The system automatically records the start time and duration of an interview. The centralized computer control system allows the project manager to supervise the whole CAPI process in real-time mode. In our office there is a special centre designed and perfectly equipped for CAPI. Experienced supervisors hold professional trainings for CAPI interviewers before each project.
