Questionnaire Design

Question 1

Guidlines for constructing questionnaires

Answer 1

make items clear
avoid presuming questions
use simple language
avoid double barrelled items
respondents must be competent to answer
avoid using not
avoid double negatives
avoid biased items

Question 2

0-100 scale

Answer 2

answers given on a scale from 0-100

• respondents may respond in multiples of 5
• false precision - whats the difference between 1 point

Question 3

visual analogue scale

Answer 3

giving an answer on a line between two opposite words

+ very sensitive - useful in studies with minimal intervention

• false precision - difference between 1 point
• hard to extrapolate the scores
• difficult for respondents to remember previous answer

Question 4

worded response

Answer 4

circling a word that represents how much you agree with a statement

• hard to assess the intervals (‘psychological space’) between categories

Question 5

likert scale

Answer 5

circling the number you agree with represented by a continuum between two opposing words

avoid using questions that everyone will agree/disagree with - reduced variance

Question 6

semantic differential scale

Answer 6

often used to measure attitudes using adjective pairs representing opposite ends of continuum

Question 7

thurnstone scaling

Answer 7

items represent different levels of an attribute
100 items rated by 50 judges
items sorted into piles equally spaced along an attitude continuum
items in piles scored from 1-11 and their median obtained
20 items selected that cover entire range of attitudes
items presented randomly to P
participants indicate where they are on the scale (representing their attitude)

+ easy for respondents - only have to indicate their agreement/disagreement
+ easy to develop alternative forms of scale

• labour intensive
• judges ratings may be different

Question 8

questionnaire format

Answer 8

general format -

maximise white space (easy and quicker to complete)

Question 9

questionnaire general instructions

Answer 9

general instructions - 
who is it from?
whats the purpose?
why should they complete?
how long does it take?
is it anonymous and confidential?
how do you complete it?
how do you return the questionnaire?

Question 10

questionnaire order

Answer 10

question order - random?

- duller questions at the end

Question 11

questionnaire instructions

Answer 11

instructions to each section?

- helps respondents make sense of questionnaire

Question 12

online survey tools (positive)

Answer 12

responses collected automatically
large sample size
format data in SPSS friendly way

Question 13

online survey tools (negative)

Answer 13

may need a database of email addresses
low response rates
- reduced sample size
- reduced power
- limits generalisability