1. 7: Designing the Questionnaire
ESSENTIALS OF MARKETING RESEARCH
Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush

2. Learning Objectives Describe the steps in questionnaire design
Discuss the questionnaire development process
Summarize the characteristics of good questionnaires
Understand the role of cover letters
Explain the importance of other documents used with questionnaires

3. Value of Questionnaires in Marketing Research
A questionnaire is a formal framework consisting of a set of questions/scales designed to generate primary data
Questionnaire construction involves using a process that takes established sets of question/scale measurements and formats them into a complete instrument

4. Steps in Questionnaire Design
1: Confirm research objectives
2: Select appropriate data collection method
3: Develop questions and scaling
4: Determine layout and evaluate questionnaire
5: Pretest, revise, and finalize questionnaire
6: Implement survey

5. Questions and Scaling Type of Question Format Quality of Question
Unstructured Questions
Open-ended format where
respondent replies in their
own words.
Structured Questions
Closed-ended format where
respondent responds from a
set of possible responses.
Quality of Question
Bad Questions
Unanswerable.
Leading or loaded.
Double-barreled questions.

6. Guidelines for Evaluating the Adequacy of Questions
Use simple words, avoiding technical words
Avoid qualifying phrases
Ensure response categories are mutually exclusive
Ensure question and scale statements are meaningful to the respondents
Avoid arranging response categories in a manner that may bias responses
Do not double-barrel questions or response items

7. Considerations in Questionnaire Design_1
Confirm the research objectives before designing the questionnaire
Determine data requirements to complete each research objective
Include a general description of the study in the introduction section
Ensure instructions are clear
Arrange questions in a logical order

8. Considerations in Questionnaire Design_2
Begin with simple questions and then progress to more difficult ones
Ask person questions at the end
Place sensitive questions towards the end
Avoid asking questions using a different measurement format in the same section of the questionnaire
End with a thank-you statement

9. Four Basic Scale Levels
Nominal Scales
Four Basic Scale Levels
Ordinal Scales
Interval Scales
Ratio Scales

10. Nominal Scales Nominal scales focus on only requiring a
respondent to provide some type of
descriptor as the raw response
Example.
Please indicate your current martial status.
__Married __ Single __ Single, never married __ Widowed

11. Ordinal Scales
Ordinal scales allow the respondent to express “relative magnitude” between the raw responses to a question
Example.
Which one statement best describes your opinion of an Intel PC processor?
__ Higher than AMD’s PC processor
__ About the same as AMD’s PC processor
__ Lower than AMD’s PC processor

12. Interval Scales
Interval scales demonstrate the absolute differences between each scale point
Example.
How likely are you to recommend the Santa Fe Grill to a friend?
Definitely will not Definitely will

13. Ratio Scales
Ratio scales allow for the identification of absolute differences between each scale point, and absolute comparisons between raw responses
Example 1.
Please circle the number of children under 18 years of age currently living in your household.
(if more than 7, please specify ___.)

14. Role of a Cover Letter Initial Contacting Device
Encourage Participation
Provide Study Information
Communicate Study’s
Legitimacy
Improve Response Rates

15. Guidelines for Developing Cover Letters_1
Personalize letter
Identify sponsoring organization
State purpose and importance clearly
Promise anonymity or confidentiality
Clarify the general time frame of doing study

16. Guidelines for Developing Cover Letters_2
Reinforce importance of participation
Acknowledge reasons for nonparticipation
Provide time requirements and any compensation
Explain completion date and where and how to return survey
Offer advance thank you statement

17. Other Documents Used in Collecting Data
Supervisor instructions
Interviewer instructions
Screening forms
Quota sheets
Rating cards
Call record sheets

18. Sample Rating Card