Questionnaire

Marketing researchers have a choice of three main research instruments in collating primary data; questionnaires, qualitative measures and mechanical devices.

In this article let us discuss about the Questionnaire.

A questionnaire consists of a set of questions presented to respondent. Because of its flexibility, the questionnaire is by far the most common instrument used to collect primary data. Questionnaire needs to be carefully developed, tested, and debugged before they are administered on a large scale. In preparing a questionnaire, the researcher carefully chooses the question and their form, wording and sequence. The form of the question can influence the response. Marketing researchers distinguish between closed-end and open-end questions. Closed-end question specify all the possible answers and provide answers that are easier to interpret and tabulate. Open-end question allow respondents to answer in their own words and often and reveal more about the thoughts of the audience. They are especially useful in exploratory research, where the researcher tries to get an insight into how people are think rather than measuring how many people think in a certain way.

Dos And Donts of Questionnaire

1. Ensure that questions are not biased. Do not lead the respondent into an answer. Let the respondent decide upon his own answer without being prompted.
2. Make the questionnaire as simple as possible. Do not make the questions confusing by including multiple ideas or two questions in one.
3. Make the questions specific. It is good to be specific with time periods while putting forth the questions to the respondents
4. Avoid jargons. Avoid trade jargons, acronyms and initials which are not a part of daily language.
5. Steer clear of sophisticated or uncommon words. Only use words in common speech. The purpose of the questions is to know the thoughts of the questions and not confusing them using uncommon words.
6. Avoid ambiguous words. Words such as “usually” or “seldom” etc have no specific meaning. They can be treated by individual respondents in different way and thus can lead to wrong conclusions. As stated earlier, questions should be specific.
7. Avoid negative questions. It is better to ask “ Do you ever…..” than “ Don’t you ever….”.
8. Avoid hypothetical questions. It is difficult to answer questions about imaginary situations. These answers cannot always trusted. It is advisable never to ask questions related to products or services of each the respondents have no clue. So, it is very necessary to do a detailed study of the target audience before approaching the audience with the questionnaire.
9. Avoid using words that can be misheard or have multiple meanings. This is specifically important for telephonic interview.
10. Desensitize questions by using response bands. For questions that ask people about their age or yearly turnover, it is best to offer a range of response bands.
11. Ensure that fix response do not overlap. Categories used in fixed response questions should be sequential and not overlapping.
12. Allow the option of “other” in fixed response questions. Closed end questions should always allow for response other than those listed.

Types Of Questions

Closed-end Questions

a. Dichotomous: A question with only two possible answers.

b. Multiple choices: A question with three or more answers.

c. Likert scale: A question with which the respondent shows the amount of agreement or disagreement.

d. Semantic differential: A scale connecting two bipolar words. The respondent selects the point that represents his or her opinion.

e. Importance scale: A scale that rates the importance of some attributes.

f. Rating scale: A scale that rates some attributes from “poor” to “excellent”.

g. Intention-to-buy scale: A scale that describes the respondent’s intention to buy.

Open-end Questions

a. Completely unstructured: A question that respondents can answer in an almost unlimited number of ways.

b. Word association: Words are presented, one at a time, and respondents mention the first word that comes to mind.

c. Sentence Completion: an incomplete story is presented, and respondents are asked to complete it.

d. Picture: A picture of two characters is presented, with one making a statement. Respondents are asked to identify with the other and fill in empty balloon.

e. Thematic appreciation test: A picture is presented and respondents are asked to make up a story about what they think is happening or may happen in the picture.