Abstract: The use of self-report surveys in social science research is ubiquitous, yet the promise of such methods for the evaluation of business compliance has yet to be fully explored. This chapter details the unique benefits of adopting a survey approach generally in the study of compliance, as well as examining the benefits of “factorial survey experiments” more specifically. Specifically, surveys and factorial surveys have the potential to uncover noncompliance before it happens, provide insights into why noncompliance occurs, and can examine whether employee trainings or other internal efforts are effective in promoting compliance behavior. Throughout the chapter, the utility of these methods for both academic scholars as well as compliance practitioners is emphasized in an attempt to encourage people within corporations to consider moving beyond a reliance on data collected by the corporation in the course of everyday business processes – ideally in partnerships with scholars.

The chapter begins with a brief history of survey research and how surveys have been used in compliance research, then provides an overview of the known benefits and weaknesses of the survey method. A description follows detailing more specifically how the integration of experimental manipulations enhances the usefulness of surveys in the form of “factorial survey” methods. This description includes information on what those survey formats entail (using an example from the author’s own research to illustrate) and outlines their benefits as well as their limitations when applied to compliance research. Finally, the chapter concludes by articulating how the use of surveys and survey experiments would benefit both scholars and professionals.