Chapter 11

Collecting primary data

using questionnaires
Introduction

 Questionnaire is a general term

that includes all techniques of data collection in which
each person is asked to respond to the same set of
questions in a pre-determined order. It therefore
includes both structured interviews and telephone
questionnaires as well as those in which the questions
are answered without an interviewer being present.
Introduction

 As each person
(respondent) is asked to
respond to the same set
of questions, it provides
an efficient way of
collecting responses
from a large sample prior
to quantative analyses.
Introduction

 However, it is harder to produce a good

questionnaire than you might think:
 You need to ensure that it will collect the
precise data that you require to answer your
research question and achieve your
objectives.
 You will be unable to go to those anonymus
individuals and collect additional data using
another questionnaire.
Introduction

Important steps are:

Careful design of individual questions
Clear layout of the questionnaire form
Detailed explanation of the purpose of the
questionnaire
Carefully planned and executed
administration
Questionnaire Techniques

 Questionnaires can be used as the only

data collection method, but also it is
usually better to link them with other
methods, such as in-depth interviews.
Types of Questionnaire

 The design of a
questionnaire
differs according to how it
is administered and the
amount of contact you
have with the
respondents.
Types of Questionnaires

 Self-administered
questionnaires are
usually completed by the
respondents. Such
questionnaires are
administered electronically
using the Internet, posted to
respondents who return them
by post after completion.
Types of Questionniares

 Responses to
interviewer-
administrated
questionnaires
are recorded by the
interviewer on the
basis of each
respondent’s answers.
The choice of questionnaire

 Characteristics of the respondents from

whom you wish to collect data
 Importance of reaching a particular person as
respondent
 Importance of respondents’ answers not
being contaminated or distorted
The choice of questionnaire

 Types of questions you need to ask to collect

your data
 Number of questions you need to ask to
collect your data.
 Size of sample you require for your analysis,
taking into account the likely response rate
The choice of questionnaire

BE CAREFUL
 Respondents to self-administrated
questionnaires can discuss their answers
with others
 Responses can be distorted when recorded
 If the respondents have insufficient
knowledge or experience, they may
deliberately guess at the answer
Data analyze

 Some software
packages allow you
to both design your
questionnaire and to
enter and analyse the
data within the same
package; like SNAP
and SphinxSurvey.
Research design requirements

 Unlike semi-structured interviews, the

questions you ask in questionnaires need to
be defined precisely prior to data collection.
 Quesitonnaire offers only one
chance to collect data
Research design requirements

 Before designing your

questionnaire, you
must review the
literature carefully and
discuss your ideas with
other experts.
Research design requirements

 You also need to be clear about which

relationships you think are likely to exist
between variables:
 Dependent variable: It changes in
response to changes in other variables
 Independent variable: It causes
changes in dependent variables
Types of variable

 Opinion variables record how

respondents feel about something or what they
think or believe is true or false
 However, when recording what respondents do,
you are recording their behaviours, a
concrete experience.
 Attribute variables contain data about
the respondents characteristics; things a
respondent possesses, rather than things a
respondent does.
Designing individual questions

 You need to consider the type and wording of

the questions. Your wording should be clear
and understandable to respondents.
 Most types of questionnaire include a
combination of open and closed ended
questions.
Open questions

 Open-ended questions are used widely in in-

depth and semi-structured interviews. In
questionnaires they are useful if you are
unsure of the response.
Example:
[Link] list up to three things you like
about your job
1. ……………………………
2. ……………………………
3. ……………………………
Open questions

 With open questions the precise wording of

the question and the amount of space
partially determine the length and the
fullness of the response. However if you
leave too much space, the question
becomes off-putting. Therefore, it is better to
keep their use to minimum.
Close ended questions

Divided mainly into six

types:
List questions
Category questions
Ranking questions
Rating questions
Quantity questions
List questions

 List questions offer the respondent

a list of responses, any of which they can
choose. The list of responses must be
defined clearly and meaningfully to the
respondent. You may also wish to add a
catch-all category of ‘other’.
List questions

Example:
[Link] is your religion?
Please tick the appropriate box
Buddhist
Christian
Hindu
Jewish
Muslim
None
Other
(please say):…………………….
Category questions

 Category questions are designed

so that each respondent’s answer can fit only
one category. It is better to limit the
categories between five and eight.
 You should arrange responses in a logical
order so that it is easy to locate the
response. Your categories should not
overlap, and should cover all possible
responses.
Category questions

Example
[Link] often do you visit this shopping center?
First visit
Once a week
Less than fortnightly to once a month
2 or more times a week
Less than once a week to fortnightly
Less often
Ranking questions

 A ranking question asks the

respondent to place things into rank order.
This means that you can discover their
relative importance to the respondent.
 Make sure the instructions are clear and will
be understood by the respondent. Your list
should be at the most seven or eight items.
Ranking questions

Example:
[Link] number each of the factors listed below in order of importance to
you in your choice of a new car. Number the most important 1, next 2
and so on. If a factor has no importance at all, please leave blank.
Factor Importance
Acceleration ()
Boot size ()
Depreciation ()
Safety features ()
Fuel economy ()
Price ()
Driving enhoyment ()
Other ()
.....................................(please describe)
Rating questions

 Rating questions are often used

to collect opinion data. The respondent is
asked how strongly he/she agrees or
disagrees with a statement , usually on a
four-, five-, six-or seven-point scale. You
should include both positive and negative
statements so as to ensure that respondents
reads each one carefully and think about
which box to tick.
Rating questions

Example
[Link] the following statement please tick the box
that matches your view closely.

agree tend to agree tend to disagree disagree

I feel that employees’
views have influenced
the decisions taken by
management
Rating questions

Example
[Link] the following statement please circle the number that
matches your view most closely.

This concert was..

Good value 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Poor value

for money for money
Quantity questions

 The response to a quantity

question is a number, which gives the
amount of a characteristic. Such questions
tend to be used to collect behaviour or
attribute data.
Quantity questions

Example:
[Link] is your year of birth?

1 9

(for example, for 1980, write:)

1 9 8 0
 Quantity questions

Example:
 For each of the following statements please tick
the box that most closely matches your
experience..
monthly every 3 every 6 never
months months

23. I receive a company site newsletter..

24.I receive other company publications..

Question wording

Ask yourself;
 Can your question be shortened?
 Are you asking more than one question at a
time?
 Does your question imply that a certain
answer is correct?
 Are there any words in your question that
might cause offence?
 Will all words be understood by all
respondents in the same way?
Question coding

 If you are planning to analyse your data by

computer, they will need to be coded prior to
entry. For quantity questions, actual numbers
can be used as codes. For other questions
you will need to design a coding schema.
Designing the survey form

 The order and flow of

questions: To assist the flow of the
survey, it may be necessary to include
filter questions. These identify
those respondents for whom the following
question/s are not applicable, so they can
skip those questions. But be careful about
not using more than two or three filter
questions as resposndents might be
annoyed.
Designing the survey form

Example for filter question:

[Link] you currently registered as employed?

Yes No
If ‘no’ go to question 25
Designing the survey form

 The layout of questionnaire:

Interviewer administered questionnaires
should be designed to make reading
questions and filling in responses easy.
The layout of the self-administered
questionnaires should be attractive enough
to encourage the respondent to fill it in, while
not appearing too long.
Designing the survey form

 The layout of questionnaire:

Do not make the questionnaire longer than is
really necessary to meet your research
question and objectives.
Do not be too obsessed with the length of
your questionnaire.
In general, a length between four and eight
A4 pages is acceptable.
Business Research Skills

Designing
Questionnaires
DO’s and DON’Ts
Introduction

 It’s usually best to start a survey with general

questions that will be easy for a respondent to
answer.
 It’s usually best to ask any sensitive questions,
including demographics (especially income),
near the end of the survey.
Designing Questionnaires

 Begin with non-threatening, easy to answer questions.

How long have you been with BSC Computer
Services?
_____ yrs

 Make your items as brief as possible.

 Emphasize the crucial words in each item.

Designing Questionnaires
 Group items into coherent categories.

How long have you been a supervisor?

____under 2 years
____2 to 8 years
____9 to 15 years
____over 16years

 Leave space for comments, as well as, to make it

appear less cluttered
Designing Questionnaires

 Provide variety in the type of items used.

 a. b. c.

 True/False

 Rank 1-4….
Designing Questionnaires

 Don’t use negatively worded question if

possible

Do you feel that working with this

company is stressful?
____ yes
____ no
Designing Questionnaires

 Don’t use double barreled items

This program has increased the capability

of performing current or future job tasks.
____ True
____ False
Designing Questionnaires

 Don’t include extraneous or unnecessary items.

Don’t bias respondents by hinting to a desired
response. Don’t use ambiguous, bureaucratic,
technical or colloquial language.

Do you agree that the management team

is fair to all employees?
______ yes
______ no
Designing Questionnaires

 Don’t put important items at the end.

List below how you feel the issue can be
resolved:

 Don’t ask questions to which you already

know the answers.
Project Management Training is available
to Supervisors?
____ yes
____ no