QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN

Submitted to: Prof. P.S.Ganguly Submitted by:

Questionnaire
Definition :A structured technique for data collection that consists of series of questions, written or verbal that a respondent answers.

Purpose of questionnaire
Ensures standardization and comparability of the data across interviews everyone is asked the same questions Increases speed and accuracy of recording Facilitates data processing Allows the researcher to collect the relevant information necessary to address the management decision problem

The Major Decisions in Questionnaire Design

SEQUENCE

CONTENT

LAYOUT

WORDING

PRETESTED & REVISED

What should be asked?

While framing a questionnaire two basic criteria must be met if it is to achieve the researchers purposes. Relevancy: A questionnaire is relevant if necessary information is collected that is needed to solve the business problem. Accuracy: Accuracy means information is reliable and valid. Questionnaires should use simple, understandable, unbiased, unambiguous and nonirritating words. Questionnaire design should facilitate recall and motivate respondents to cooperate. Proper question wording and sequencing to avoid confusion and biased answers 4

How should each question be phrased?

Fixed-alternative questions provide multiple-choice answers. These types of questions are good when the possible replies are few and clear-cut, such as age, car ownership, etc. Example: Did you watch the Flag hoisting ceremony at Rajpath on the Republic Day this year? Yes_____ No_____ Open-ended questions allow the respondent to better express his/her answer, but are more difficult to administer and analyze. Often, open-ended questions are administered in a depth interview. This technique is most appropriate for exploratory research Example: What things do you like most about your job? 5

Fixed alternative Advantages: Require less interviewer skill Take less time to answer Are easier for the respondent to answer Provides comparability of answers Disadvantages: Lack of range in the response alternatives Tendency of respondents to choose convenient alternative
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Open ended
Advantages: Are most beneficial in exploratory research, especially when the range of responses is not known. May reveal unanticipated reactions toward the product. Are good first questions because they allow respondents to warm up to the questioning process. Disadvantages: The possibility that interviewer bias will influence the answer High cost of administering open-ended response questions Bias introduced by articulate individuals longer 7 answers

 Dichotomous questions have two possible opposing responses, for example, "Yes" and "No.

Example: Did you go for shopping in the last week ? Yes_____ No_____

Determinant choice question: A type of fixed alternative questions that requires a respondent to choose one and only one response from among several possible alternative.

Example: Please give information about your flight. In which section of the aircraft did you sit? A. First class B.Business class C. Coach class

 Frequency determination question : A type of fixed alternative question that asks for an answer about general frequency of occurrence.
Example: How frequently do you go to temple? Everyday_____ 1-2 times a week_____ Once in a month_____ On special occasions_____

Checklist question: A type of fixed alternative question that allows the respondent to provide multiple answers to a single question.
Example: Which sources of information about investments you regularly use? Personal advice of your broker Brokerage news letters Brokerage research reports
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Phrasing questions for self-administered, telephone and personal interview surveys.

Influences on Question Phrasing: The means of data collectionTelephone interview, personal interview, selfadministered questionnairewill influence the question format and question phrasing. Questions for mail, Internet and telephone surveys must be less complex than those used in personal interviews. Questionnaires for telephone and personal interviews should be written in a conversational style.

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THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS Avoid complexity: Use simple and conversational language Words in the questionnaire should be easily understandable. Information about the marital status of the respondents may present a problem. Technical jargons of corporate executives should be avoided while surveying retailers ,factory employees or industrial users. Example: marginal analysis, decision support system. Avoid leading and loaded questions. Leading questions are the ones that suggest or imply certain answers. Loading question is the one that suggests a socially desirable answer or is emotionally charged.

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 Many a times the respondents do not wish to make the interviewers sad so in this case the questions are likely to elicit only positive comments Some answers to certain questions are socially desirable than others. During personality tests the respondents give most socially acceptable answers that actually do not portray their true feelings. Partial mention of alternatives is another form of loading. There may be no answer or a biased response in case of questions relating to income and education. This problem can be solved with the help of counterbiasing statement.
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 A counterbiasing statement is an introductory statement or preface to a question that reduces a respondents reluctance to answer potentially embarrassing questions. Example : your answers will be kept in strict confidence. The split ballot technique is utilized with the expectation that two alternative phrasing of the same question will lead a more accurate total response than with only single phrasing. Example: A study of small car buying behavior gave one half of the sample of imported car purchasers a questionnaire in which they were asked to agree or disagree with the statement. Small U.S cars are cheaper to maintain than small imported cars. the other half received a questionnaire in which the statement read Small imported cars are cheaper to maintain than small U.S cars.
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AVOID AMBIGUITY--- BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE

Consider indefinite words such as often, occasionally, usually, regularly, frequently, many, good, fair and poor. The wordings of the questionnaire may confuse respondents. Example: How difficult is it for you to get the necessary information about company objectives for decision making. Here the term necessary information is highly subjective. It could be interpreted to mean the minimum necessary or the optimal necessary information.

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AVOID DOUBLE BARRELED ITEMS A question covering several issues at once is referred to as double barreled. When multiple questions are asked in one question, the results may be difficult to interpret. Example: Are you satisfied with food and water facility in the organization. _ Yes _ No. Here the respondent may feel torn between a Yes to one part of the question and a No to another part.

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Avoid making assumptions. Example: Should Macys continue its excellent gift wrapping program? _Yes _ No This question contains an implicit assumption that people believe that the gift wrapping program is excellent. Sometimes an assumption is made that the respondent has previously thought about an issue. Avoid Burdensome questions that may tax the respondents memory. This may include questions about prior events that demand serious strain on the respondents memory.
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 Order bias: Bias caused by the influence of earlier questions in a questionnaire or by an answers position in a set of answers. Example: Awareness about Charitable Organizations 1 Red Cross Society 2 Rotary Club 3 Arya Samaj Funnel techniques: Asking general questions before specific questions in order to obtain unbiased responses Example: When a survey about a particular Retail Chain is carried out
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The sequence of Questions

 Filter Question: A question that screens out respondents not qualified to answer second question Example: Questions on educational background Pivot Question: A question used to determine which version of second question will be asked Example: Is family income over 50000rs, if yes then ask Is it over 75000, else ask is it over 25000

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What is the best layout General guidelines: - Title of the questionnaire - The size should be as brief as possible - Booklet instead of stapled papers - Mail questionnaires should not be overcrowded - They should be of descent size
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Internet Questionnaires: Use Graphical User Interface Web publishing softwares : --Web Surveyor --Netscape Composer --MS Front Page

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 Page layout issues Various tools used -- Push Button -- Status Bar -- Radio Button -- Drop Down Menu -- Check Box -- Open ended box -- Pop up Boxes
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 Softwares to make questionnaire interactive

Variable Piping Software Error Trapping Forced Answering Softwares Interactive Help Desks

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How Much Pretesting and Revising Are Necessary?

Pretesting Process
Seeks to determine whether respondents have any difficulty understanding the questionnaire and whether there are any ambiguous or biased questions.

Preliminary Tabulation
A tabulation of the results of a pretest to help determine whether the questionnaire will meet the objectives of the research
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Designing Questionnaires for Global Markets Back Translation Taking a questionnaire that has previously been translated into another language and having a second, independent translator translate it back to the original language. A questionnaire developed in one country may be difficult to translate because equivalent language concepts do not exist or because of differences in idiom and vernacular.
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