6 Question Design

Question 1

The Do’s of Question Design

Answer 1

• ensure response categories are exhaustive and mutually exclusive
• always add an “I don’t know”/”I’m not sure” response
• pay attention to question order
• think about social-desirability bias
• use short, simple questions

Question 2

ensure response categories are exhaustive and mutually exclusive

Answer 2

the respondent must be able to find their true response in the categories provided

Question 3

always add an “I don’t know”/”I’m not sure” response

Answer 3

since the responses must be mutually exhaustive, you have to allow the possibility that the respondent simply doesn’t have or doesn’t know about the topic

Question 4

pay attention to question order

Answer 4

questions must logically follow each other and must not be ordered in such a way that leads respondents towards certain conclusions

Question 5

think about social desirability bias

Answer 5

when a respondent alters their true response to a survey question bc they don’t want to be uncomfortable with the interviewer or they feel that their actual response is frowned upon in society

Question 6

use short, simple questions

Answer 6

long, convoluted, and complex questions can lead to respondent fatigue, and they might not read the entire question, skip it, or not understand what’s being asked

Question 7

The Don’t’s of Question Design

Answer 7

• don’t ask ambiguous questions
• don’t ask about obscure things
• don’t use leading questions
• don’t use double-barrelled questions

Question 8

don’t ask ambiguous questions

Answer 8

respondent must be able to easily understand the question so they can give a truthful, meaningful response that reflects their actual behaviour and attitudes

Question 9

don’t ask about obscure things

Answer 9

don’t ask about things that are outside respondents’ realms of knowledge

Question 10

don’t use leading questions

Answer 10

avoid asking questions in such a way that leads the respondent towards a certain answer

Question 11

don’t use double-barrelled questions

Answer 11

avoid asking about two diff things in the same question

Question 12

Do or Don’t of Question Design

Answer 12

• add a middle/neutral category on a scale
• some argue that doing so reflects how some are genuinely neutral on certain issues
• others argue that doing so allows respondents to not take definitive stances, leading to uninteresting data

Question 13

codebooks

Answer 13

contains survey questions, found on websites like Canadian Election Study and other voter behaviour studies