Personally, out of all the types of surveys one could do, I find the longitudinal variety to be the most interesting and the most informative, simply because a trend/behavior is being tracked over a period of years.
The good news is that you don’t have to wait 10 years to conduct your second survey. Longitudinal studies that go back in time are called retrospective studies and would be used where a researcher investigates recorded bahevior over the years (population, medical records, etc) and uses todays number to make a statement.
One of the more famous around the area I grew up, is the Framingham Heart Study. I have a few friends that go out to Framingham every few years to get their blood taken and levels checked. They are in the third generation of program participants. Most of the now common knowledge concerning heart disease, such as the effects of diet, exercise, and common medications such as aspirin, are based on this longitudinal study.
If you like the idea of a repeating, long-term survey, there’s a neat documentary series you could watch called “Seven Up!” which follows the lives of 14 British children starting in 1964. Each new film in the series (Seven Up, Seven plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up, 35 Up, 42 Up, 49 Up, etc) profiles the lives of the participants at 7 year intervals. It’s not very exciting compared to some of the blockbusters or short web clips of today, but provides a much more lasting impact and effect.
source : http://www.surveysoftwarehq.com/category/online-survey-software/tips
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