2 of 43 Designing a questionnaire When designing you own questionnaire you should try to follow these rules: 1) Provide an introduction, so that the person filling in the questionnaire knows the purpose of your enquiry. 2) Write questions in a sensible order, putting easier questions first. It is important to design a questionnaire so that: People will co-operate and answer the questions honestly. The answers to the questions can be analysed and presented.

3 of 43 Designing a questionnaire 3) Make sure that questions are not embarrassing or personal. For example, you need to think carefully about questions asking about age or income. Do not ask : How old are you? A better question is : Tick one box for your age group

4 of 43 Designing a questionnaire For example : People could answer : YesNoNot much Only the best bits Once a daySometimes 4) If possible, write questions so that they have a specific answer. Did you see the Olympics on TV ?

5 of 43 Designing a questionnaire A better question would be: How much of the Olympics coverage did you watch? Tick one box only. None Less than 1 hour a day Between 1 to 2 hours a day More than 2 hours a day Every eventuality has been accounted for and the person answering the question cannot give another choice.

6 of 43 How would you rate the leisure facilities available in your local area? Tick one box only. Designing a questionnaire A scale can be used when asking for an opinion. For example, ExcellentUnsatisfactoryPoorSatisfactoryGood

7 of 43 Designing a questionnaire 5) Do not ask leading questions. For example, this question conveys a particular opinion, A better question is : Which one of the following sports do you like the best? footballrugbytennisgolfcricketboxing Don’t you agree that football is the best sport?

8 of 43 Suggest a better question How much do you weigh? This is too personal, also some people don’t know their weight. UnderweightAverage weightOverweight Would you consider yourself to be: A better question would be:

9 of 43 Suggest a better question Most people use a deodorant, do you ? Which make of deodorant do you use ? Male: Female:SureImpulseDoveOtherNone LynxOtherAdidasSlazengerNone Please circle any that apply. This is a leading question and may offend people. A more useful question would be:

10 of 43 Suggest a better question The intervals given overlap. Also, if a person has read more than 6 books there is nowhere to tick. A better question would be: How many books did you read last month? Tick one box How many books did you read last month?

11 of 43 Trialling a questionnaire Once you have written a questionnaire it is a good idea to try it out on a small sample of people. This is called a pilot survey. Note down their responses and use these to refine any questions that are causing difficulty. Do I use a tick or a cross to show the box I want? What does this question mean? I don’t want to answer this question because it’s too personal. There isn’t a box to cover my answer.