Questionnaire Design

1
Topic 5
Marketing Analysis Research (MAR3613) By
Kanghyun Yoon

• Questionnaire Design

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Introduction to Questionnaire Design

• The role of a questionnaire
• Survey research relies on the use of a
  questionnaire that is designed to gather primary
  data, such as facts, opinions, attitude, etc.
• A questionnaire is a set of questions designed to
  generate the data necessary to accomplish the
  objectives of the research project.
• Key criteria for a good questionnaire
• Does it provide the necessary decision-making
  information?
• Does it consider the respondent?
• Does it meet editing, coding, and data processing
  requirement?
• Discussion issues for questionnaire design
• What should be asked? ? Planning what to measure.
• How should questions be phrased? ? Formatting the
  questionnaire and question wording.
• In what sequence should the questions be
  arranged? ? Sequencing and layout decisions.
• What questionnaire layout will best serve the
  research objectives? ? Sequencing and layout
  decisions.
• How should the questionnaire be pretested? Does
  the questionnaire need to be revised? ?
  Pretesting correcting problems.

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Process of Questionnaire Design
Step 1 Planning What to Measure
Step 2 Formatting the Questionnaire
Step 3 Question Wording
Step 4 Sequencing and Layout Decisions
Step 5 Pretesting and Correcting Problems
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Planning What to Measure (I)

• A Key Idea
• Specify exactly what information is to be
  collected.
• Good Habits
• Translate research objectives into information
  requirements for managerial decision-makings.
• Consider the nature of target population (e.g.,
  socioeconomic characteristics).
• Always ask how will this info be used? and
  anticipate the specific analysis with an proper
  statistical tool.

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Planning What to Measure (II)

• Example 1
• Research Objective What is the estimated market
  share of our brand?
• Info. Requirements Purchase frequency within 6
  months of the competing brands and our brand.
• Specific Analysis Tool Frequency table or Pie
  chart.
• Example 2
• Research Objective What are our current images
  compared to those of competitors?
• Info. Requirements General perception with
  respect to salient criteria.
• Specific Analysis Tool Image map or Profile
  analysis.

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Formatting the Questionnaire

• A Key Idea
• The degree of freedom to be given to respondents.
  
• Types of Question Response Format
• Open-ended question (with no classification)
• Closed-ended question (with forced
  classification)
• Dichotomous Questions
• Multiple-Choice Questions
• Scaled-Response Questions

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Open-Ended Question

• When it is useful
• Introduction to a specific topic.
• Measure the salience of an issue.
• Verbatim or sensitive responses are desired.
• Advantages
• Obtain the wide range of responses.
• Lack of effects with prespecified categories.
• Disadvantages
• Variability in the clarity and depth of
  responses.
• Time-consuming and subjective judgments when
  sorting
• Sensitive to the space available.
• Different frames of reference.

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Closed-Ended Question

• When it is useful
• Choice from a list of possible responses.
• A rating scale.
• Advantages
• Easy to answer less potential error, less
  time-consuming.
• Fixed frames of reference for direct comparison.
• Disadvantages
• Disagreement on types of response categories.
  (e.g., about neutral point, about dont know).
• Not mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories.
• Forced choice with the categories.
• Hard to develop a good question.

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Question Wording (I)

• Key How to avoid non-response or ambiguity
  error!
• Develop good phrasing of questions
• Rule 1 Use simple and familiar words
• Average person in U.S. has a high school,
  education and has difficulty in coping with usual
  tasks - reading, filling out form
• Strategy Consider characteristics of target
  respondents.
• Rule 2 Avoid vague or ambiguous words or
  questions
• Ex) How often do you use the Internet?
• ( ) Never ( ) Occasionally ( )
  Sometimes ( ) Often
• Ambiguous Often, occasionally, usually,
  sometimes, etc.
• Strategy (1) use a adequate frame of reference
  (2) ask about the most recent instance of the
  phenomenon.

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Question Wording (II)

• Rule 3 Avoid leading questions
• Ex) Dont you agree that imposing taxes by law is
  an effective way to stop the peoples smoking?
• ( ) Yes ( ) No ( ) Undecided
• Leading question Dont you agree?, or Wouldnt
  you say?
• Strategy Remember the phrasing finally chosen
  will affect the responses secured. So, avoid it
  leading the respondents.
• Rule 4 Avoid double-barreled questions
• Ex) Are you satisfied with the quality and
  service of the restaurant?
• Strategy Split the initial question into two
  separate ones.

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Question Wording (III)

• Rule 5 Avoid implicit alternatives
• Ex1) Would you like to have a job,if this were
  possible?
• Ex2) Would you prefer to have a job, or do you
  prefer to do just your homework?
• Ex2) makes explicit the alternative implied in
  Ex1)
• Strategy Rotate the order of the options in
  samples of questionnaires, if you need to include
  them.
• Rule 6 Avoid implicit assumptions
• Ex) Where did you live before you moved here?
• Understand on what will happen as a consequence
• Strategy Make explicit the consequence(s).

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Question Wording (IV)

• Rule 7 Avoid generalizations or estimates
• Ex) How many boxes of breakfast cereal do you
  purchase in a year?
• Questions should always be asked in specific
  rather than general terms.
• Strategy Ask the most recent instances since the
  respondents can retrieve their recent memories.
  (e.g., in a month)
• Rule 8 An appropriate length of questions
• Common rule of thumb is to keep the number of
  words in any question under 20.
• Of course, there is an exception when you need to
  avoid ambiguity.

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Sequencing and Layout Decisions

• Basic guidelines for sequencing a questionnaire.
• Start with an easy and unthreatening opening
  question.
• Move smoothly and logically from one topic to the
  next.
• Proceed from broad, general questions, to the
  more specific.
• Dont place sensitive or difficult questions at
  the beginning. (e.g., income)
• Suggestions for Layout Decisions (Table 9.2,
  McDaniel and Gates 2004)
• Qualifying questions Screeners.
• Warm-ups First few questions.
• Transitions First third of questions.
• Difficult and complicated questions Second
  third.
• Classifying and demographic questions Last third.

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Pretesting Correcting Problems

• Ensure Questionnaire has the reliability and
  validity
• For validity Check the researchers expectation
  in terms of information to be collected.
• For reliability Compute Cronbachs Alpha.
• Select small representative sample of target
  respondents
• More than 15 for a short and straightforward
  questionnaire.
• More than 25 for a long and complex
  questionnaire.
• Pretest each questions
• Check for the variation in answers, intended
  meaning, task difficulty, and respondents
  interest and attention.
• Pretest the questionnaire
• Check for flow of questionnaire, skip patterns
  (e.g., road map), length, and respondents
  interest and attention.