Questionnaire Design

AEE 888The Ohio State University

May 4, 2009Guest Lecturer: Amy Beaudreault

Class Objectives

To describe the design elements of a mail questionnaire.

To identify good and bad characteristics of a questionnaire.

To describe question ordering techniques.

How Many of You…

Didn’t understand the directions?

Received a questionnaire in the mail and just from first glance, placed it in the junk mail?

Half-way through a questionnaire stopped?

Design Elements of Mail QuestionnaireBooklet formatDescriptive titleNo questions on front or backSize appropriately for mailUse easy-to-read font and size (sans serif larger

than 10-point; Ariel)Use color if possibleMake attractive and invitingNumber questionsTell people how to respond; have scales on

each page

Design Elements of Mail Questionnaire

Fit entire question on same pageLong questions with a number of subparts

should not be followed by a short question at the end of a page

Use vertical formatUse quality paper (thick enough to not see

through)Blank space is a good thing

Front Cover

Study title

Graphic or photo related to topic

Return directions

Name and address of study sponsor

IRB protocol instructions

Back Cover

Additional comments

No question items

THANK YOU!

Blank Space

Four Stages of Survey Response

Comprehension

Retrieval

Judgment

Reporting

All this happens in approximately 5 seconds.

Question Ordering

Screening question always first, if applicable

Most important questions first; demographics last

Group together similar topics and scales

Create cognitive ties

Imbed threatening questions

First Question

Related to topic

Quick question; not open-ended

Applicable to everyone

Question Wording

Avoid absolutes like always and never

No double-barreled questions

Be aware of social desirability

Avoid biased questions

Use simple words

Consider your population

Avoid slang

Practice: What’s Wrong?

I read the newspaper every day.

Use of absolute

I watch the news on television and read the news online.

Double-barreled

Do you procrastinate?

What does procrastinate mean: Do you put off until tomorrow what you can do today?

More Practice: Small Groups

Aspects to remember:DesignTitle DirectionsWord choiceEnough blank space?Sponsorship

Tips for Beginners

Resist writing questions until you have finalized your research questions.

Refer to research goals when writing questionnaire.

Every time you write a question, ask yourself, “Why do I want to know this?”

Use questions from successful studies (replication is okay).

Survey Resources

Bradburn, N., Sudman, S., and Wansink, B. (2004). Asking Questions. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. San Francisco, CA.

  Tourangeau R., Rips, L.J., and Rasinski, K. (2000). The Psychology of Survey

Response. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, United Kingdom.

  Groves, R. M., Fowler, F. J., Couper, M. P., Lepkowski, J. M., Singer, E., &

Tourangeau, R. (2004). Survey methodology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Interscience.

Bradburn, N. M., Rips, L. J., & Shevell, S. K. (1987). Answering autobiographical questions: The impact of memory and inference on surveys. Science, 236, 157-161.

Bishop, G. F. (1986). Opinions on fictitious issues: The pressure to answer survey questions. Public Opinion Quarterly, 48, 510-519.