Abstract:

With very few exceptions, empirical social research methods are being used primarily for purposes of predicting future events or behaviour. Sociological and economic analyses, even where on their face they appear to be nothing but fact finding or studies in methodology, generally intend to establish links between past and future developments. Obviously it cannot be the purpose of this paper to cover a general area, of this scope.This paper deals with the much narrower, question to what extend survey methods can be helpful in predicting future economic behaviour, in particulars how survey methods can be applied in forecasting future, sales volumes.