Questionnaire Design

Questionnaire Design Lecturer Gianpaolo Vignali

Lecture Outline • Questionnaire objectives • Question content • Respondent’s inability to answer • Respondent’s unwillingness to answer • Question structure • Question wording • Questionnaire layout • Question ordering

Questionnaire Objectives • Must translate information needed into a set of specific questions that respondents can and will answer • Must encourage respondents to cooperate and complete the survey • Should minimise response error

Question Content • Is the question necessary? • Every question should contribute to the information needed or serve a specific purpose • Neutral questions can help to establish rapport • Filter questions screen potential respondents to ensure that they meet the requirements of the survey • Number of questions needed • Double-barrelled questions can be confusing and result in ambiguous responses • i.e. Do you come to this bar for its fast and friendly service?

Inability to Answer • Lack of knowledge • Use filter questions (i.e. product use and past experience) to screen for respondents who are not adequately informed • Limited Memory • Questions that do not provide cues to the event or that rely on unaided recall can underestimate the actual occurrence of an event • Unable to phrase answer • Provide aids such as pictures, maps and descriptions to help respondents articulate their answers

Unwillingness to Answer • Effort required of respondents • Time, thought, detail • Context • Unwilling to answer questions that are considered to be inappropriate in a given context • Legitimate purpose • Unwilling to provide information that is not seen to serve a legitimate purpose • Sensitive information • Unwilling to disclose personal or embarrassing information

Unwillingness to Answer • Techniques to overcome respondents’ unwillingness to answer questions • Place sensitive topics at the end of the questionnaire • Preface sensitive questions with a statement that suggests that the behaviour of interest is common • Ask questions using the third-person technique – phrase the question as if it referred to other people • Hide sensitive questions in a group of other questions that respondents are willing to answer • Provide response categories rather than asking for specific figures

Question Structure • Unstructured questions • Open-ended questions that respondents answer in their own words • Enable respondents to express general attitudes and opinions • BUT, coding of responses is costly and time-consuming • i.e. What is your opinion of Portuguese food? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question Structure • Structured questions • Questions that specify the set of response alternatives and the response format • Multiple choice questions • i.e. Which of the following items have you purchased in the past week from Debenhams? Please tick as many as apply. 1. Clothing  2. Shoes  3. Jewellery  …  15. Electrical equipment  16. Other (please specify ___________) 

Question Structure • Multiple choice questions • i.e. Which of the following items do you purchase most often from Debenhams? Please tick only one answer. 1. Clothing  2. Shoes  3. Jewellery  …  15. Electrical equipment  16. Other (please specify ___________) 

Question Structure • Dichotomous questions • Allow for only two response alternatives, which are often supplemented by a neutral alternative • i.e. Would you hire a school uniform for a hen or stag night? 1.Yes  2. No  3. Don’t know  • The decision to use a dichotomous question should be guided by the complexity of the issue • Such questions allow for limited/basic data analysis only

Question Structure • Likert scales • A measurement scale with 5 or 7 response categories • Responses are given numerical values, which reflect the strength and direction of respondents’ attitudes • Many alternative scales, based on what you are trying to measure: • Agreement • Likelihood to purchase • Frequency of an activity • Importance

Question Structure • Please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements: • (1) Strongly agree (2) Agree (3) Somewhat Agree (4) Neutral • (5) Somewhat Disagree (6) Disagree (7) Strongly Disagree • This company is: • A very personal place1 2 3 4 5 6 7 • A very dynamic and entrepreneurial place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 • A very formalised and structured place1 2 3 4 5 6 7 • A very production oriented place1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Question Structure • Please indicate how likely you are to purchase the following soup flavours: • (1) Very Unlikely (2) Unlikely (3) Somewhat Unlikely • (4) Neutral (5) Somewhat Likely (6) Likely (7) Very Likely • Tomato and basil 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 • Wild mushroom 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 • Carrot and coriander 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 • Leek and potato 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Question Structure • Please indicate how important the following factors are in influencing your decision to frequent a Portuguese restaurant in Manchester city centre: • (1) Not at all important (2) Unimportant (3) Somewhat Unimportant • (4) Neutral (5) Somewhat Important (6) Important (7) Very Important • Price 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 • Quality of food 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 • Restaurant atmosphere 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 • Location 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Question Structure • Semantic differential scales • A seven-point rating scale • The two end points are associated with bipolar labels • Similar alternative scales to Likert scales, but only label the two extremes: • Agreement • Likelihood to purchase • Frequency of an activity • Importance • Can also use more descriptive or attitudinal labels

Question Structure • I would characterise Debenhams as: • Old fashioned1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Modern • Low quality 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 High quality • Low priced1 2 3 4 5 6 7 High priced • Slow service 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fast service • Dirty 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Clean • For data analysis purposes you, as the researcher, will still have to assign a label to each numerical value

Question Wording • Clearly define the issue • Which brand of shampoo do you use? • Which brand/s of shampoo have you personally used at home during the last month? In the case of more than one brand, please list all the brands that apply. • Use ordinary words • Do you think the distribution of soft drinks is adequate? • Do you think soft drinks are readily available when you want to buy them?

Question Wording • Use unambiguous words • Never, occasionally, usually, often • Less than once, 1 or 2 times, 3 or 4 times, more than 4 times • Avoid leading or biasing questions • Is Colgate your favourite toothpaste? • What is your favourite toothpaste brand? • Avoid generalisations and estimates • What is your annual expenditure on groceries? • What is the weekly expenditure on groceries in your household?

Questionnaire Layout • Provide for questionnaire identification number • Make interviewer instructions very clear • Routing and order must be clear • Separate questions from answers • Provide ample space for writing in answers • Pre-code as many answers as possible • i.e. Male (1) Female (2) • i.e. Under 18(1) 19 – 25(2) 26 – 32(3) 33- 39(4) 40 and over(5)

Question Ordering • Simple, interesting and non-threatening opening questions • Ask about the present before the past • Put questions in a logical order • Put embarrassing, personal or difficult questions towards the end • Beware of order effects where one question may influence the answers to subsequent questions • Apart from screening questions, put identification and classification questions at the end of the questionnaire

Summary • Be careful when wording questions • Use scales whenever possible as these allow for more robust and sophisticated data analysis • Use 7-point scales in preference to 5-point scales as these provide a greater range of responses (people rarely pick the extreme points on a scale) • Pre-code your questionnaire – it will make data analysis and the use of SPSS much simpler and quicker • Avoid using too many open-ended questions as these must be coded later or analysed qualitatively

Questionnaire Design