Replicating existing approaches to the Online questionnaires

As with CAPI and CATI, electronic formatting of the questionnaire brings opportunities to replicate and improve on pen and paper approaches. Thus it is possible to: rotate or randomize the order in which questions are asked; rotate or randomize the order of response codes between respondents; sum numeric answers (eg to ensure that answers

Enhancing the experience on the Online questionnaires

Some of the advances offered by web-based questionnaires are the enhance­ments that can be made to the ways in which the questions are asked, ma­terial displayed and responses recorded. Such enhancements include: drag and drop; page turning; magnifying; highlighting; virtual shopping. It has been shown that online questionnaires that utilize techniques such as these,

Why pilot questionnaires?

There are two key tests for a questionnaire: reliability and validity. A questionnaire is reliable if it provides a consistent distribution of responses from the same survey universe. The validity of the question­naire is whether or not it is measuring what we want it to measure. Testing a questionnaire directly for reliability is very

Types of pilot questionnaire survey

There are various types of pilot surveys that might be carried out according to the perceived need for piloting, time available and budget. These are: informal pilots carried out with a small number of colleagues; cognitive interviewing in which the questionnaire is tested amongst respondents; accompanied interviewing which may be used principally to test

Responsibilities to respondents as ethical issues of the questionnaires

1. The introduction What is said in the introduction to an interview is crucial in securing the cooperation of respondents. This is true for both interviewer-adminis­tered surveys and self-completion studies. From an ethical standpoint the introduction should include: the name of the organization conducting the study;* the broad subject area; whether the subject area

Responsibilities to clients as ethical issues of the questionnaires

Ethical behaviour does not just extend to the relationship between ques­tionnaire writer and respondent, however. The questionnaire writer also has a responsibility to behave ethically towards the client. Much has been written in previous chapters about designing questions that are unbiased and strive to capture the best and most accurate data. This is not

Response bias of questionnaire survey

No matter how carefully the questionnaire writer constructs the ques­tions, the data collected are only as accurate as the responses that are elicited. Respondents give inaccurate answers for a number of different reasons. They give inaccurate answers both consciously for reasons of their own, and also without any conscious realization that the informa­tion they

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Social desirability bias of questionnaire survey

Social desirability bias (SDB) arises because respondents like to appear to be other than they are. This can occur consciously, because respondents want to manage the impression that they are giving of themselves in terms of social responsibility, or subconsciously, because they believe themselves to be other than they are, possibly a form of

Dealing with SDB (Social desirability bias) of questionnaire survey

When writing the questionnaire care must be taken to identify question areas that are possible sources of SDB. If the questions ask about attitudes or behaviour on any subject that has a social responsibility component, then consideration should be given to how best to minimize any possible bias. Simply asking respondents to be honest

Determining whether SDB (Social desirability bias) exists in the questionnaire survey

It can be difficult to determine whether or not the responses to a question have been influenced by SDB. 1. Matched cells One approach to determining whether or not there is a problem is to use one of the techniques described above and to have part of the sample as a control cell that

Client presence in the international questionnaire surveys

If you are conducting a multinational study, then it is possible that the commissioning organization, or client, has a presence in most if not all of the countries that are to be covered. However, the extent and expertise of that presence may differ between countries, depending on the size and the nature of their

Common or tailored approaches to the international questionnaire surveys

When faced with the prospect of conducting a study across a number of countries the first issue is whether to write a separate questionnaire for each country or a single questionnaire that varies only on items such as brand lists. This can only be answered by examining the objectives of the study and the

Translating the questionnaire

Accurate translations are, of course, essential. But an accurate translation is not simply one that is literally accurate. Translations must be carried out sensitively so that meanings, shades of meaning and nuances are accurately retained. Possibly the most difficult to translate are brand image and positioning statements and attitude dimensions. There may be fine

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Demographic data in the international questionnaire surveys

One area that often causes difficulty is the classification of demographic data. Many countries subscribe to a social-grade classification system, which uses a grouping system described as A, B, etc. There the similarity often ends, with the number of groups and their definitions differing widely. The UK has a six-grade system (A, B, C1,

Cultural response differences in the international questionnaire surveys

In some cultures, people are more prepared to criticize than in others. In India, for example, it is considered rude to be critical of someone else’s work. Responses to rating scales therefore tend to be more positive than in many other countries. Within Europe, as a rule people in Latin coun­tries will tend to

Laying out the questionnaire in the international surveys

Where paper questionnaires are to be used the issue arises of how differ­ences between the layouts can be minimized. This is generally desirable if the questionnaire is broadly common to all countries. 1. Layout conventions However, it is also important that local agencies use their own layout conventions where these differ. Mistakes are more