This article reviews the historical linkages between the evolution of the survey research
method and applied social research, arguing that most or all of the elements of the modern
survey were devoloped in response to immediate, practical (as opposed to academic or
disciplinary) concerns. In contrast, the utility of survey data and methods in advancing the
more basic social science disciplines was a rather late recognition. Although surveys
similar to those of the modern day were being conducted in the nineteenth century,
academic scholars referred to the method as 'a new research technigue' as late as 1961.
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