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Designing the Questionnaire

Questionnaire building
is an art!
A questionnaire
is always custom-built!
The process of questionnaire design
PLANNING WHAT TO MEASURE
Revisit the research objectives
Decide on the research issue of your questionnaire
Get additional information on the research issue from secondary
data sources and exploratory research
Decide on what is to be asked under the research issue
FORMATTING THE QUESTIONNAIRE
In each issue, determine the content of each question.
Decide on the format of each question
QUESTION WORDING
Determine how the question is worded
Evaluate each research question on the basis of comprehensibility,
knowledge and ability, willingness/inclination of a typical respondent to
answer the question
FORMATTING THE QUESTIONNAIRE
In each issue, determine the content of each question.
Decide on the format of each question
The process of questionnaire design
SEQUENCING AND LAYOUT DECISIONS
Lay out the questions in a proper sequence
Group all the questions in each subtopic to get a single questionnaire
PRETESTING AND CORRECTING PROBLEMS
Read through the whole questionnaire to check whether it
makes sense and it measures what it is supposed to measure
Check the questionnaire for error
Pretest the questionnaire
Correct the problems
Designing the Questionnaire
Logical Steps to Develop a Good Questionnaire
Plan what to measure
Formulate questions to obtain the needed information
Decide on the order and wording of questions and the
layout of the questionnaire
Using a sample, test the questionnaire for omissions and
ambiguity
Correct the problems (pretest again, if necessary)
Designing the Questionnaire (Contd.)
Planning What to Measure
Specify research objectives and information to
be collected
Relevance of the study
Translating Research Objectives Into
Information Requirements
Designing the Questionnaire (Contd.)
Formatting the Question
Decision to be made regarding the degree of freedom to be
given to the respondents in answering the questions
Alternatives
Open ended with no classification
Open ended where the interviewer uses precoded
classifications to record the response
Close ended or structured format in which a
question or a supplementary card presents the
responses to be considered
Open Ended Questions
Open Ended Questions Are Good for the Following
Circumstances
Introduction to a survey or to a topic
When it is important to measure the saliency of an issue to
a respondent
When there are too many responses to be listed, or they
can't be foreseen
When verbatim responses are desired to give the flavor of
people's answers or to cite examples
When the behavior to be measured is sensitive or
disapproved
Open Ended Questions (Contd.)
Advantages
Wide range of responses
Responses obtained without any influence
Free choices
Open Ended Questions (Contd.)
Disadvantages
Variability in the clarity and depth of the responses
Articulateness of the respondent in personal
interview
Willingness to compose a written answer for a mail
survey
Interviewer's ability to record the verbatim answers
quickly
Open Ended Questions (Contd.)
Disadvantages (Cont.)
These type of questions are also time consuming
Involves subjective judgements during summarization
and are prone to error
Expensive
The answer to this type of question expands or contracts
depending on the space or time available for it
Respondents may not use the same frame of reference,
when the options are not available
Closed-response Questions
There Are Two Basic Formats for Closed Ended
or Structured Questions
Choice from a list of responses
Appropriate single-choice rating on a scale
Closed-response Questions (Contd.)
Advantages
Easier to answer
Require less effort by the interviewer
Tabulation and analysis is easier
Less potential error in the way the question is
asked and the way it is recorded
The responses are directly comparable from
respondent to respondent
Closed-response Questions (Contd.)
Limitations
Disagreement among researchers on the type of
responses that should be listed
The answer to a closed response question will be
received no matter how relevant or irrelevant the
question is in that context
May not produce meaningful results
Dichotomous questions are prone to a large amount of
measurement error because the alternatives are polarized
Closed-response Questions (Contd.)
Limitations (Contd.)
Good questions are hard to develop
Provides fewer opportunities of self expression
The list of alternative responses provides
answers that might have not been considered by
the respondent who are reluctant to admit
ignorance, and thereby selecting a "reasonable"
response
Number of Response Categories
Generally five to seven categories
Ideally the multiple choices should be
mutually exclusive
Order of Response Categories
Responses are likely to be affected by the
order in which they are presented.
What factor influences your fast-food restaurant
choice most ?
Convenient location
Quality of food
Menu selection
Fast service
Reasonable prices
Brand name
Cleanliness
Order of Response Categories
To prevent order bias, place the average or
expected response at various positions in the
sequence of categories
Range of Response Categories
Respondents who do not know the answer
might take categories as cues.

How many long-distance calls do make in a week?
less than 5 less than 10
5-10 or 10-20
More than 10. More than 20.
Handling Uncertainty and Ignorance
Concerns the handling of dont know and
neutral responses
May be advisable to provide the interviewer with
an additional no answer category to identify
these people correctly
Using Both Open-Response And Closed-
Response Questions
Probe:
Using an open-response question to follow up a
closed-response question
Two general purposes for the use of probes:
Pinpoint questions that were particularly difficult
for respondents
Aid researcher interpretation of respondent
answers
Question Wording
Care Has to Be Taken That
Is the vocabulary simple, direct, and familiar to all
respondents?
Do any words have vague or ambiguous meanings?
Are any questions " double-barreled?
Are any questions leading or loaded?
Are the instructions potentially confusing?
Is the question applicable to all respondents?
Are the questions of appropriate length?
Question Wording
Avoid ambiguous words

How many times per month do you visit a
fast-food restaurant?
Never
Occasionally
Sometimes
Often
Question Wording
Are any questions loaded?

1) Dont you think, because its so greasy,
fast-food is one of the worst types of food?

2) Do you prefer a hamburger that is grilled
on a hot stainless-steel grill or cooked by
passing the raw meat through an open gas
flame?
Question Wording
Are any questions "double-barreled?


Are you satisfied with the price and the service of
Taco Bell?
Question Wording
Is the question applicable to all respondents?

Why do you like fast-food?

Assumes that respondent likes fast-food.
Asking Sensitive Questions
Consumption of Kelloggs Frosted Flakes
The casual approach
Have you eaten Frosted Flakes within the last week?
The numbered card
Would you please read off the number on this card that
corresponds to what you had eaten for breakfast in the last
week?
(Hand card to respondent)
1. Pancakes
2. Frosted Flakes
3. Other (what)?
Asking Sensitive Questions (Cont.)
The everybody approach
As you know, many people have been eating
Frosted Flakes for breakfast. Do you eat Frosted
Flakes?
The other people approach
Do you know of any adult who eats Frosted
Flakes?
How about yourself?
Asking Sensitive Questions (Cont.)
The sealed ballot technique
In this version you explain that the survey respects peoples
right to anonymity with respect to their eating habits, and that
they themselves are to fill out the answer to the question, seal
it in an envelope, and drop it in a box conspicuously labeled
sealed ballet box that is carried by the interviewer
The Kinsey approach
Stare firmly into respondents eyes and ask in simple clear-cut
language as that to which the respondent is accustomed, and
with an air of assuming that everyone had done everything,
Do you eat Frosted Flakes for breakfast?
Asking Sensitive Questions (Cont.)
Randomized Response Technique
The respondent is asked to answer one or two randomly
selected questions without revealing which question has been
answered
Questions:
Sensitive
Innocuous
Since the interviewer records a yes or no answer
without knowing which question has been answered,
the respondent feels free to answer honestly
Randomized Response Technique
P[Yes] = P[Yes|
S.Q
] * P[S.Q] + P[Yes|
I.Q
] *
P[I.Q]

where
S.Q = Sensitive Question
I.Q = Innocent Question
Sequence And Layout Decisions
Open with an easy and non threatening
question
The questionnaire should flow smoothly and
logically from one topic to the next
Proceed from broad general questions to the
more specific

Organization of a Typical Questionnaire
Location Type Function Example
Starting questions Broad, general
questions
To break the ice and
establish a report with
the respondent
Do you own a
personal computer?
Next few questions Simple and direct
questions
To reassure the
respondent that the
survey is simple and
easy to answer
What brands of
personal computers
did you consider
when you bought it?
Questions up to a
third of the
questionnaire
Focused questions Relate more to the
research objectives
and convey to the
respondent the area of
research
What attributes did
you consider when
you purchased you
personal computer?
Major portion of the
questionnaire
Focused questions;
some may be difficult
and complicated
To obtain most of the
information required
for the research
Rank the following
attributes of a
personal computer
based on their
importance to you
Last few questions Personal questions
that may be perceived
by the respondent as
sensitive
To get classification
and demographic
information about the
respondent
What is the highest
level of education
you have attained?
Sequence And Layout Decisions
(Contd.)
Sensitive questions should not be placed in the
beginning of the questionnaire
Use good quality of paper
Physical layout should be appealing and
interesting
Order bias
Order Bias: Does The Question Create
The Answer?
1. No question asked 2.8
2. Asked only about advantages 16.7
3. Asked only about disadvantages 0.0
4. Asked about both advantages and
disadvantages
5.7
Percentage of Respondents
Very Much Interested in
Buying New Product Questions Preceding Buying Interest Question
Pretesting and Correcting Problems
Pretest Design
Pretesting Specific Questions For
Variation
Meaning
Task difficulty
Respondent interest and attention
Pretesting the Questionnaire
Flow of the questionnaire
Skip patterns
Length
Respondent Interest and Attention
Exercises
Why did you purchase a Sony brand Walkman?

Price was lower than other alternatives
Feel it represents the highest quality
Availability of local service
Sound is better
Warranty is better
Looks good
Exercises
Have you ever listened to a Long John Silvers
radio commercial?

Which of the following restaurants do you visit
frequently?
Burger King
Pizza Hut
James Coney Island
Exercises
Do you agree that, since fast-food restaurants
produce a disproportionate amount of waste,
they should be subject to an additional
environmental tax?

Yes
No
Exercises
How often do you eat fast food?

Daily
Every second day
Once a week
Every two weeks

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