chapter 7 textbook Flashcards
The role of a questionnaire
A set of questions designed to generate the data necessary to accomplish the objectives of the research project; also called an interview schedule or survey instrument.
A questionnaire standardizes the wording and sequencing of questions and imposes uniformity on the data gathering process. Every respondent sees or hears the same words; every interviewer asks identical questions
Without such standardization, interviewers could ask whatever they wanted, and researchers would be left wondering whether respondents’ answers were a consequence of interviewer influence or interpre- tation; a valid basis for comparing respondents’ answers would not exist.
Criteria for a good questionnaire
Does it provide the necessary decision making information
Does it consider the respondent?
Does it meet editing and coding requirements
Does it provide the necessary decision making information
The primary role of any questionnaire is to provide the information required for man- agement decision-making.
Any questionnaire that fails to provide important insights for management or decision-making information should be discarded or revised.
Does it consider the respondent?
As companies have recognized the importance of marketing research, the num- ber of surveys taken annually has mushroomed. Poorly designed, confusing, and lengthy surveys have literally turned off thousands of potential respondents.
The researcher designing a questionnaire must consider not only the topic and the type of respondent, but the interviewing environment and questionnaire length as well. Respondents will answer somewhat longer questionnaires when they are interested in the topic and when they perceive that they will have little difficulty in responding to the questions.
A questionnaire should be designed explicitly for the intended respondents
Does it meet editing and coding requirements
xOnce the information has been gathered, it will have to be edited and then coded for data processing. A questionnaire should be designed with these later processes in mind.
Editing refers to going through each questionnaire to make certain that skip pat- terns were followed and required questions were filled out.
The skip pattern is the sequence in which questions are asked, based on a respondent’s answer.
Flexibility: Branchingtakestheparticipanttoadifferentsetofquestionsbasedontheanswer that is given to a prior question. Piping integrates responses from a question into later questions.
In summary, a questionnaire serves many masters. First, it must accommodate all the research objectives in sufficient depth and breadth to satisfy the information requirements of the manager. Second, it must “speak” to the respondent in under- standable language and at the appropriate intellectual level. Third, it must be conve- nient for the interviewer to administer, and it must allow the interviewer to quickly record the respondent’s answers. At the same time, the questionnaire must be easy to edit and check for completeness. It also should facilitate coding. Finally, the ques- tionnaire must be translatable into findings that respond to the manager’s original questions.
the questionnaire design process
step 1; Determine survey objectives, resources and constraints
2: Determine the data collection method
3: Determine the question response format
4: Step 4: decide on the question wording
Step 5; establish questionnaire flow and layout
Step 6: evaluate the questionnaire
Step 7: obtain approval from all relevant parties
Step 8: pretest and revise
Step 9: prepare the final questionnaire
Step 10: implement the survey
step 1: Determine survey objectives, resources and constraints
The research process often begins when a marketing manager, brand manager, or new product–development specialist has a need for decision-making information that is not available.
Survey objectives (outlining the decision-making information required) should be spelled out as clearly and precisely as possible.
step 2: Determine the data collection method
Given the variety of ways in which survey data can be gathered, such as via the Internet, telephone, mail, or self-administration, the research method will have an impact on questionnaire design.
step 3: Determine the question response format
Once the data-collection method has been determined, a decision must be made regarding the types of questions to be used in the survey. Three major types of ques- tions are used in marketing research: open-ended, closed-ended, and scale-response questions.
Ladddering: One method that can help decide what questions to ask is laddering.
Open ended questions: Questions to which the respon- dent replies in her or his own words. They enable respondents to give their general reactions to questions. Open-ended responses have the advantage of providing the researcher with a rich array of information. The respondent’s answers are based on his or her personal frame of reference and described in real-world terminology rather than laboratory or mar- keting jargon. Often, this is helpful in designing promotion themes and campaigns; it enables copywriters to use the consumer’s language.
Open-ended questions are not without their problems. Editing and coding can consume great amounts of time and money if done manually.
ay be lost.
A related problem of open-ended questions is the potential for interviewer bias.
Probing
Open-ended questions often require probes from the interviewer to encourage the respondent to elaborate or clarify an incomplete response. Probes used well will advance a discussion from top-of-mind responses to access deeper information, allowing insight into the baseline thinking that drives behaviou
Probes fall into two distinct areas: pro- active and reactive (otherwise called spontaneous or natural probe).
A proactive probe is one that can be planned ahead of time.
Reactive probes tend to be more “knee jerk” in character. They are probes that just pop up instantly in the mind of a researcher who recognizes that deeper insight is required.
Closed ended questions
Questions that require the respondent to choose from a list of answers.
Traditionally, marketing researchers have separated closed-ended questions into two types: dichotomous questions, with a two-item response option, or multiple- choice (or multi-chotomous) questions, with a multi-item response option.
Dichotomous questions
Closed-ended questions that ask the respondent to choose between two answers.
Because the respondent is limited to two fixed alternatives, dichotomous questions are easy to administer and tabulate, and usually evoke a rapid response.
Dichotomous questions are prone to a large amount of measurement error. Because alternatives are polarized, the wide range of possible choices between the poles is omitted
Another problem with the dichotomous question is that responses frequently fail to communicate any intensity of feeling on the part of the respondent.
Multiple choice questions
With multiple-choice questions, replies do not have to be coded as they do with open- ended questions, but the amount of information provided is more limited
The multiple-choice question has two additional disadvantages. First, the researcher must spend time generating the list of possible responses. This phase may require brainstorming or intensive analysis of focus group tapes or secondary data. Second, the researcher must settle on a range of possible answers. If the list is too long, the respon- dent may become confused or lose interest. A related problem with any list is position bias.
Scaled respnse questions
Closed-ended questions in which the response choices are designed to capture the intensity of the respondent’s feelings.
A primary advantage of using scaled-response questions is that scaling permits measurement of the intensity of respondents’ answers. Also, many scaled-response forms incorporate numbers that can be used directly as codes. Finally, the marketing researcher can use much more powerful statistical tools with some scaled-response questions
Sometimes scaling questions simply do not help in accomplishing the research objectives.
Step 4: decide on the question wording
Four general guidelines about the wording of questions are useful to bear in mind: (1) the wording must be clear, (2) the wording must not bias the respondent, (3) the respondent must be able to answer the questions, and (4) the respondent must be willing to answer the questions.
Make sure the wording is clear: Clarity achieved by avoiding ambiguous terminology; using reasonable, vernacular language adjusted to the target group; and asking only one question at a time.
Clarity can be improved by stating the purpose of the survey at the beginning of the interview.
To achieve clarity in wording, the researcher should avoid asking two questions in one, sometimes called a double-barrelled question
Avoid biasing the respondent
Sponsor identification early in the interviewing process can distort answers
Consider the respondents ability to answer the questions
In some cases, a respondent may never have acquired the information needed to answer the question
Could create measurement error
Another problem is forgetfulness.
To avoid the problem of a respondent’s inability to recall, the researcher should keep the referenced time periods relatively short
Consider the respondents willingness to answer the question
A respondent may have a very good memory, yet not be willing to give a truthful reply. If an event is perceived as embarrassing, sensitive in nature, threatening, or divergent from the respondent’s self-image, it is likely either not to be reported at all or to be distorted in a socially desirable direction.
Embarrassing questions that deal with topics such as borrowing money, per- sonal hygiene, sexual activities, and criminal records must be phrased carefully to minimize measurement error. One technique is to ask the question in the third person
Another method for soliciting embarrassing information is for the interviewer to state, prior to asking the question, that the behaviour or attitude is not unusual— for example, “Thousands of Canadians suffer from hemorrhoids; do you or any member of your family suffer from this problem?” This technique, called using coun- terbiasing statements, makes embarrassing topics less intimidating for respondents to discuss.
Step 5; establish questionnaire flow and layout
After the questions have been properly formulated, the next step is to sequence them and develop a layout for the questionnaire. Questionnaires are not constructed haphaz- ardly; there is a logic to the positioning of each section
Use screening questions to identify qualified respondents
Screeners: Questions used to identify appropriate respondents
Most importantly, screeners provide a basis for estimating the costs of a survey. A survey in which all people are qualified to be interviewed is going to be much cheaper to conduct than one with a 5 percent incidence rate.
Begin with a question that gets the respondents interest
After introductory comments and screens to find a qualified respondent, the initial questions should be simple, interesting, and non-threatening. To open a questionnaire with an income or age question could be disastrous
Ask general questions first
Once the interview progresses beyond the opening warm-up questions, the question- naire should proceed in a logical fashion. First, general questions are asked to get the person thinking about a concept, company, or type of product; then the questionnaire moves to the specifics.
For example, a questionnaire on shampoo might begin with, “Have you purchased a hairspray, hair conditioner, or hair shampoo within the past six weeks?” Then it would ask about the frequency of shampooing, brands purchased in the past three months, satisfaction and dissatisfaction with brands purchased, repurchase intent,characteristicsofan“ideal”shampoo,respondent’shaircharacteristics,andfinally demographics.
Ask questions that require work in the middle
Initially, the respondent will be only vaguely interested in and understanding of the nature of the survey. As the interest-building questions transpire, momentum and commitment to the interview will build
When the interview shifts to questions with scaled-response formats, the respondent must be motivated to understand the response categories and options.
Insert prompters at strategic points
Good interviewers can sense when a respondent’s interest and motivation sag and will attempt to build them back up. However, it is always worthwhile for the questionnaire designer to insert short encouragements at strategic locations in the questionnaire.
Posiitbe sensitive, threatninb and demographic questions at the end
These topics should be covered near the end of the questionnaire to ensure that most of the questions are answered before the respondent becomes defensive or breaks off the interview.
Another argu- ment for placing sensitive questions toward the end is that by the time these questions are asked, interviewees have been conditioned to respond. In other words, the respon- dent has settled into a pattern of seeing or hearing a question and giving an answer
Allow plenty of space for open ended responses
An open-ended question that allows half a line for a reply usually will receive a reply of that length and nothing more. Generally speaking, three to five lines of blank space are deemed sufficient for open-ended replies
Put instructions in capital letters
To avoid confusion and to clarify what is a question and what is an instruction, all instructions should be in capital letters—for example,“IF‘YES’TO QUESTION 13, SKIP TO QUESTION 17.” Capitalizing helps bring the instructions to the inter- viewer’s or respondent’s attention
Use a proper introduction and closing
Every questionnaire must have an introduction and closing
Step 6: evaluate the questionnaire
At this point in the questionnaire development, the following issues should be considered: (1) Is the question necessary? (2) Is the questionnaire too long? (3) Will the questions provide the information needed to accomplish the research objectives?
Is the question necessary
Perhaps the most important criterion for this phase of questionnaire development is the necessity for a given question. Sometimes researchers and brand managers want to ask questions because “they were on the last survey we did like this” or because “it would be nice to know.” Too many demographic questions are very common. Asking for edu- cation data, numbers of children in multiple age categories, and extensive demographics on the spouse simply is not warranted by the nature of many studies
Is the questionnaire too long
At this point, the researcher should role-play the survey with volunteers acting as respondents. Although there is no magic number of interactions, the length of time it takes to complete the questionnaire should be averaged over a minimum of five trials.
Most online surveys should take less than 15 minutes to complete
Will the questions provide the information needed to accomplish the research objectives
A suggested procedure is to carefully review the written objectives for the research project and then write each question number next to the objective that the particu- lar question will address
Step 7: obtain approval from all relevant parties
After the first draft of the questionnaire has been completed, copies should be dis- tributed to all parties who have direct authority over the project.
Step 8: pretest and revise
[pre test: a trial run of the quesitonnaire
Step 9: prepare the final questionnaire
recise instructions for skip patterns, numbering, and pre-coding must be set up, and the results proofread.
Step 10: implement the survey
Completion of the questionnaire establishes the basis for obtaining the desired decision-making information from the marketplace.
Supervisors instructions
Written directions to the field service firm on how to conduct the survey.
Field management companies
Firms that provide such support services as questionnaire format- ting, screener writing, and coor- dination of data collection.
By definition, field management companies generally do not have design and analytical capabilities. This means that their clients may, on occasion, need to seek other service providers to meet their full-service needs. In addition, because this is a relatively new segment of the industry, experience, services, and standards vary tremen- dously from firm to firm. It’s advisable to carefully screen prospective companies and check references. These limitations notwithstanding, field management companies pro- vide a way for researchers to increase their productivity in a cost-effective manner, while maintaining the quality of the information on which their company’s decisions and commitments are based.
