State three merits and three demerits of collecting data by 'Personal Interview'.
Merits of collecting data by Personal Interview:
(i) Highest response rate: Response is more encouraging as most of the people are willing to supply information when approached personally.
(ii) Flexible: This method is fairly flexible because the investigator makes clarifications of ambiguous questions to the informants.
(iii) Supplementary information: When in direct contact with the informants, the investigator may obtain any related information regarding personal characteristics of the informants.
Demerits of collecting data by Personal Interview:
(i) Most expensive: It may be very expensive or costly where the number of persons to be interviewed is large and they are spread over a wide area.
(ii) Personal bias: Under this method, there is a possibility that the investigator may influence respondents. The chances of personal prejudice and bias are greater under this method.
(iii) More time taking: More time is required for collecting information by this method as compared to other methods.