Designing the Questionnaire

Logical Steps to Develop a Good Questionnaire Recall the research objective, the research questions and hypotheses Identify the variables to be measured Formulate items in the questionnaire Order and wording of questions and the layout of the questionnaire Test for omissions and ambiguity Correct the problems (pretest again, if necessary)

Exercise – Identify the variables 1.To understand if my ad campaign was liked. 2.To understand how much students know about credit 3.To understand the relative importance of price and image in in my brand’s overall sales 4.To understand which brand of cell phone enjoys top of mind recall 5.To understand if lower prices could lead to higher sales

Questions must meet 4 requirements  You must ask the right questions  Respondents must understand the questions  Respondents must know the answers  Respondents must be willing to tell you those answers.

From Variables to Survey questions 1.To understand if my ad campaign was liked. 2.To understand how much students know about credit 3.To understand the relative importance of the price and image in in my brand’s overall sales 4.To understand which brand of cell phone enjoys top of mind recall 5.To understand if lower prices could lead to higher sales “I liked the ad campaign” (SD – SA) “How much do you know about credit” (Nothing – Quite a lot) “How important is 1. ‘price’ (Not imp – very Imp) and 2. ‘image’ (Not Imp – Very Imp) in your decision to buy my brand” “Tell us some names of cell phone brands you can think of” 1._____ 2. _____ 3. _____ “If the price of X was reduced by 10%, how likely would you be to buy X” (Not likely – Very likely)

Types of Questions 1. Open-response question: People look for different things in a job. What would you prefer most in a job? 2. Closed-response question: People look for different things in a job. What would you prefer most in a job? –Work that pays well –Work that gives a sense of accomplishment –Work where you make most decisions by yourself –Work that is steady with little chance of being laid off.

Open Ended Questions Advantages –Gain insight into the problem –Too many options to list –When verbatim responses are desired to give the flavor of the problem –When behavior to be measured is sensitive or disapproved –Interviewer / questionnaire structure influence can be minimal Disadvantages –Inarticulate respondents –Interviewer’s skill in recording quickly and summarizing accurately –Time consuming, subjective judgments while tabulating, adds to cost

Closed-response Questions 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 What type of fast-food restaurant do you visit most often?  Burger  Mexican  Chicken  Pizza  Seafood  Chinese  Don’t know  Other (please specify)

Closed-response Questions What is your overall satisfaction with McDonalds Hamburgers? Very satisfiedQuite Satisfied Somewhat satisfied Not at all satisfied     Very satisfied Not at all satisfied

Closed-response Questions Advantages –Easy to understand, quick responses possible –Micro-differences in responses can be captured –Easier tabulation and analysis –Answers are directly comparable from respondent to respondent Disadvantages –Neutral category may attract more responses than warranted –Information between categories may be lost (extreme case – dichotomous categories)

Issues in Questionnaire Design Mutually exclusive choices How many long-distance calls do you make in a week?  5 and less  5-10  10 and more

Issues in Questionnaire Design Order of response categories “I pay my bills on time” Never Often Always Sometimes Rarely

Issues in Questionnaire Design Meanings of response labels “I pay my bills on time” Never Often Always Sometimes Frequently

Issues in Questionnaire Design Range of response categories How many long-distance calls do you make in a week?  less than 5  less than 10  5-10or   More than 10.  More than 20.

Issues in Questionnaire Design Respondent uncertainty –Should respondents be provided with a Don’t know or No opinion option? –When it is important to differentiate between ambivalence and ignorance, both options should be provided

Issues in Questionnaire Design Question Wording - Vocabulary –Simple, easy to understand, commonly used language –Avoid technical words and jargon (unless sample is technically qualified) –Words meaning something else in different languages and cultures (e.g. Nova meaning “no go” in Spanish; “mist stick’ meaning manure in German, etc.)

Question Wording Ambiguity How many times per month do you visit a fast-food restaurant?  Never  Occasionally  Sometimes  Often

Question Wording Are any questions "double-barreled”? Are you satisfied with the price and the service of Taco Bell?

Question Wording Are any questions loaded or leading? 1) Don’t you think, because its so greasy, fast-food is one of the worst types of food? …leading question 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?...loaded question Both skew responses in the desired direction Questions which threaten respondent self- esteem e.g. occupation question produces more “executives”

Issues in Questionnaire Design Question Wording –vocabulary –“double-barreled” questions –leading or loaded questions –Instructions Complicated or lengthy instructions confuse and bias respondents

Question Wording Is the question applicable to all respondents? Why do you like fast-food? Assumes respondents like fast foods Better strategy would be to ask a filter question first.

Question Wording Question length –Should be short –Longer questions confuse and fatigue respondents Sensitive questions –Questions on information perceived to be embarrassing, like personal income, criminal activities, alcoholism, smoking, drugs habits, social desirability issues, etc. –Creativity rules (assurances of confidentiality, anonymity, slipping it in sideways, open-ended questions, asking in third person, etc.)

Sequence And Layout Decisions Opening questions – easy and non-threatening Flow – smooth and logical – avoid jumps Broad to specific Critical questions – placed in the middle Appealing and interesting Order bias – the possibility that subsequent responses are influenced by preceding responses e.g. fewer people will say that their taxes are too high after being asked whether govt. spending should be increased in certain areas. Demographic questions - last

Pretesting and Correcting Problems Pretesting Specific Questions For Meaning Task difficulty Respondent interest and attention Pretesting the overall Questionnaire Flow of the questionnaire Skip patterns Length Put yourself in the respondent’s shoes and answer the questionnaire.

Examples – spot the problems in the questions Why did you purchase a Bose home theatre system?  Great self-expressive benefits  High quality  Good service  Great bass to treble ratio  Better warranty  Looks good What is your annual income

Examples – spot the problems in the questions Don’t you think Budweiser makes the best commercials YesNo Which of the following restaurants do you visit frequently?  Burger King  Pizza Hut  Subway  KFC  McDonalds Rate how much you like the quality and image of Dove Hate it12345Love it

Examples – spot the problems in the questions 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 How often do you watch “American Idol” AlwaysNever

Examples – spot the problems in the questions How often do you eat fast food?  Daily  Every second day  Once a week  Every two weeks What do you think about the super bowl Love itLike itHate it

Examples – spot the problems in the questions “I read the Wall Street Journal” –Frequently –Sometimes –Often –Never –Always