9: Designing the Questionnaire

9-2 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Value of Questionnaires in Marketing Research  A questionnaire is a formal framework consisting of a set of questions/scales designed to generate primary data  Questionnaire construction involves using a process that takes established sets of question/scale measurements and formats them into a complete instrument

9-3 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Steps in Questionnaire Design  1: Confirm research objectives  2: Select appropriate data collection method  3: Develop questions and scaling  4: Determine layout and evaluate questionnaire  5: Obtain initial client approval  6: Pretest, revise, and finalize questionnaire  7: Implement survey

9-4 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Quality of Question oBad Questions Õ Unanswerable. Õ Leading or loaded. Õ Double-barreled questions. Quality of Question oBad Questions Õ Unanswerable. Õ Leading or loaded. Õ Double-barreled questions. Type of Question Format o Unstructured Questions ÕOpen-ended format where respondent replies in their own words. o Structured Questions ÕClosed-ended format where respondent responds from a set of possible responses. Type of Question Format o Unstructured Questions ÕOpen-ended format where respondent replies in their own words. o Structured Questions ÕClosed-ended format where respondent responds from a set of possible responses. Questions and Scaling

9-5 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Guidelines for Evaluating the Adequacy of Questions  Use simple words; avoid technical words  Get the verbiage out  Avoid qualifying phrases (always, sometimes, never, etc.)  Ensure response categories are mutually exclusive  Ensure question and scale statements are meaningful to the respondents  Avoid arranging response categories in a manner that may bias responses  Do not double-barrel questions or response items

9-6 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Questionnaire Design  Confirm the research objectives and data needs before designing the questionnaire  Include a general description of the study in the introduction section *  Ensure instructions are clear  Arrange questions in a logical order  Be mindful of coding needs when choosing response formats  The data amount vs. survey length tradeoff

9-7 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Questionnaire Design  Begin with simple questions and progress to more difficult ones  Ask personal / sensitive / demographic questions at the end  Avoid asking questions using different measurement formats in the same section of the questionnaire  End with a thank-you statement

9-8 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Encourage Participation Improve Response Rates Initial Contacting Device Provide Study Information Communicate Study’s Legitimacy Communicate Study’s Legitimacy Role of Cover Letters / Intros

9-9 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Cover Letters / Intros  Personalize letter  Identify sponsoring organization  State purpose and importance clearly  Promise anonymity or confidentiality  Clarify the general time frame of doing study

9-10 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Cover Letters / Intros  Acknowledge reasons for nonparticipation  Provide time requirements and any compensation  Explain completion date and where and how to return survey  Offer advance thank you statement

9-11 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Other Documents Used in Collecting Data  Supervisor instructions  Interviewer instructions  Screening forms  Quota sheets  Rating cards  Call record sheets

9-12 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Sample Screening-Quota Sheet

9-13 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Sample Rating Card

9-14 Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Hair/Wolfinbarger/Ortinau/Bush, Essentials of Marketing Research 1e © McGraw-Hill/Irwin2008 Call Record Sheet Sample