Introduction
Format of questions
Open and closed questions
Analysing the result
A quick guide
What is a questionnaire?
At its simplest a questionnaire is just a list of questions used to obtain useful information. There are two ways in which respondents (the people completing the questionnaire) may answer the questions:
- An interviewer may read the questions out loud to a respondent who answers verbally. The interviewer then writes the answers down. This is usually known as a structured interview.
- A printed copy of the questionnaire is given to the respondent who then fills it in and returns it to the interviewer. This method of collecting information is the one that we generally mean when we say "questionnaire".
Why do we use questionnaires?
- They allow the collection of data from large numbers of people, certainly from more than you could interview without help.
- By providing structured results they make it possible to compare people's answers.
- They are extremely useful for collecting information which can be expressed in statistical formats (with graphs and tables for example) and it is for this purpose that most students are asked to design and use questionnaires. If your aim is to collect information about attitudes and ideas then face-to-face interviews may be more appropriate.
- If you collect data from enough people and from a representative cross-section of people then it is possible to make wider statements about the population in general.
Advantages and disadvantages of questionnaires
In general, questionnaires are very effective mechanisms for the efficient collection of certain kinds of information; but you do need to consider their advantages and disadvantages if your research is to be accurate.
Advantages
- They allow respondents plenty of time to consider their answers carefully without interference from interviewers.
- They are cheap and make it possible to question large numbers of people simultaneously.
- Because questionnaires are identical each respondent receives the same set of questions. Furthermore, with closed questions, answers are standardized and this helps in interpreting responses from large numbers of people.
- They may be posted to respondents, but this may lower the response rate.
- They can be submitted anonymously and this usually increases the rate of response. It is also worth noting that anonymously submitted answers are generally more honest.
Disadvantages
- It can be difficult to obtain a good response rate because there is usually no strong reason for people to respond.
- If they are badly designed they can be complicated and misleading.
- They are unsuitable if answers need to be developed or followed up.
- Questions cannot be explained to the respondent
Getting started
Before you start to design a questionnaire you should clearly identify its objectives. Decide exactly what kind of information you want to obtain or what questions you want answers to and use only those questions that will help to achieve this. Then brainstorm your subject - write down ideas for as many questions as you can for later inclusion in the questionnaire. Make sure that the possible questions are as simple and as clear as possible. This is particularly important if the respondents are going to complete the questionnaire on their own.
Here are some simple "rules" for your question brainstorming session:
- Keep questions simple by avoiding those that are ambiguous or unclear.
- Avoid leading questions where you inadvertently suggest the answer that you are looking for.
- Avoid double-barrelled questions or those that ask two questions at the same time.
- Avoid hypothetical questions or questions which are so far fetched that they could not happen.
- Avoid long, technical words or phrases.
- Avoid sentences that are too long.
- Avoid sensitive or personal questions because you are unlikely to get an honest answer.