questionnaires and surveys

Question 1

2 key issues in questionnaires

Answer 1

• language and shared meaning: language cannot be ambiguous, everyone should have the same interpretation
• available responces: if closed questions should be able to select a response that accurately represents their views or status

Question 2

pros of using age groups rather than just age

Answer 2

• less sensitive
• less non-response rate
• easier to display visually in tables, graphs and charts

Question 3

cons of using age groups over age

Answer 3

• categorical data
• less flexible for analysis
• arbitrary divisions between groups
• different size groups?
• similarities and differences within and between groups harder to determine

Question 4

age in years/birthday pros

Answer 4

• continous/discrete data
• more flexible for analysis
• can be turned into groups later

Question 5

cons of using birthday/age in years rather than age groups

Answer 5

-data is more sensitive=higher non-responsive rate

Question 6

likert scale

Answer 6

• measure latent variables
• can be used to convert categorical (ordinal) data into continous (interval) data
• attaches numbers to people’s reponse rates
  e. g. 1. not afraid at all
  2. slightly afraid
  3. very afraid

Question 7

negatives of likert scales

Answer 7

• can be confusing, some values are not the double of others
• problem of comparing responses of individuals
• is your ‘afraid’ the same as ‘my afraid’ (terms are unclear)
• what if no response is suitable for you?
• cannot qualify your answer