Questionnaire

Design

January 19, 2010 Prepared by Prof C Y Nimkar 1

 Questionnaire design
• Questionnaire is a technique for collecting data
• Open ended questions provide important and
detail feedback
• Close ended questions provide ease in analysis
• There is no guaranteed technique that will give
good questionnaire
• It is a skill that can be mastered by experience.

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 Preliminary considerations for
designing questionnaire
• Data needs: Refer Investigative questions
• Respondent’s profile
• Method of administering questionnaire:
– Personal interview
– Mail questionnaire
– Telephone interview
– Internet

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 Personal interview
• Advantages:
– Ability to show visual aids
– More complex questions can be asked
– Spontaneous response can be obtained
– Higher response rate
• Disadvantages:
– Expensive & time consuming
– Not suitable if respondent wants to be anonymous

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 Mail questionnaire
• Advantages:
– Efficiency in cost and time if sample is geographically
spread
– Useful if respondent wants to be anonymous (sensitive
subjects of research)
• Disadvantages:
– Non-response can be high
– Answers can be incomplete
– Not suitable for spontaneous response

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 Telephone questionnaire
• Advantages:
– Efficiency in cost and time if sample is
geographically spread
– Useful if respondent wants to be anonymous
– Spontaneous response can be obtained
• Disadvantages:
– Visual aid can not be used

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 Preliminary considerations for
designing questionnaire
• Research design used:
– Open ended questions are suitable for
exploratory research
– Close ended for conclusive research

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 Steps in questionnaire design
• Prepare flowchart to decide flow of
questions.
• Prepare first draft of the questionnaire
• Test questionnaire for finding any mistakes
• Finalize questionnaire

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 Do’s of questionnaire
• Interviewer should first reveal his identity and
purpose of study
• Assure respondent that responses given by him
will be kept confidential
• Convince him about benefit that will be derived
from his co-operation
• Place neutral or filter questions at the beginning
• Use conversational language
• State meaning of technical words
• Use categories for sensitive data. E.g. age, income
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 Do’s of questionnaire
• Include all relevant answers to a close ended question
• Options given to a question should be mutually exclusive
• Use balanced scale in attitude measurement
• Sequence questions from general information to specific
information
• Place demographic questions at the end unless required for
screening respondent or for quota sample
• Ask respondent to give spontaneous response to know his
top of mind awareness
• Give examples to respondents for understanding scale

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 Do’s of questionnaire
• Write instructions to interviewer at the beginning of
questionnaire
• Use capital letters for instructions
• Do not provide lines for answers to open ended
questions
• Use checkboxes [ ] for recording answers
• Send covering letter for mail questionnaire
• Thank the respondent at the end of questionnaire
• Layout should be such that it avoids flipping pages

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 Do’s of questionnaire
• Physical appearance of the questionnaire
should be pleasant
– Leave sufficient white space
– Use booklet form
• Provide visual aid to respondent, if
necessary
• Each questionnaire should have unique
serial number and interviewer’s code no.
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 Don'ts of questionnaire
• Avoid ambiguous adjectives like usually, often,
rare, occasionally, frequently. Instead better to
quantify choices like:
– Dou you often visit temple? (Incorrect)
– How may times do you visit temple in a week?
(Correct)
• Every day
• 4 to 6 times in a week
• 2 to 3 times in a week
• Once a week
• Other

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 Don'ts of questionnaire
• Avoid double negatives
– Are you against ban on smoking? (Incorrect)
– Will you support ban on smoking? (Correct)
• Avoid double-barreled questions.
– Is fast food tasty and nourished? (Incorrect)
– Is fast food tasty? (Correct)
– Is fast food nourished? (Correct)
• Do not use abbreviations.
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 Don'ts of questionnaire
• Avoid questions that will tax respondent’s
memory.
• Avoid leading question. For e.g.:
– Don’t you feel that religion should be kept away from
politics? (Incorrect)
– Do you feel that religion should be kept away from
politics? (Correct)
• Do not assume that respondent has prior
knowledge. Confirm it or provide it.
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 Don'ts of questionnaire
• Do not substitute respondent. For e.g. do
not interview husband if wife is not
available.

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 Pre-testing questionnaire
• Check the questionnaire for any flaw in the
questionnaire. Some of the areas are:
– Required data is obtained fully
– Scales used are valid
– Meaning of questions are properly understood by
everybody
– Respondent does not get irritated
• About 75 respondents are found sufficient for
testing
• Perform analysis on the data obtained during pre-
testing and show it to the decision maker
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 Qualities of interviewer
• Understands respondents
• Listens well
• Maintains attitude of genuine interest
• Accepts rejection
• Does not let mood affect performance
• Is sincere, committed and of high integrity

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 Field Survey
• Inform respondents in advance, if possible
• Have proper checks while survey is on
• Do courtesy call or send thanks giving
letters to those who responded to survey
• Send reminders to those who have not sent
responses to mail survey

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