1. Designing the Questionnaire8
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2010 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Pretest Pop Quiz
1. Have you stopped cheating on marketing exams? A) Yes B) No
2. The last person I bought something from was perfectly honest: A) Yes B) No
3. Do you like orange juice? A) Yes B) No
4. Do you watch TV regularly? A) Yes B) No
5. You wouldn't want to go to Burger King for the class party would you?  A) Yes B) No

3. Learning Objectives Describe the steps in questionnaire design
Discuss the questionnaire development process
Summarize the characteristics of good questionnaires
Understand the role of cover letters
Explain the importance of other documents used with questionnaires

4. 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

5. 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

6. Questions and Scaling Type of Question Format Quality of Question
Unstructured Questions
Open-ended format where
respondent replies in their
own words.
Structured Questions
Closed-ended format where
respondent responds from a
set of possible responses.
Quality of Question
Bad Questions
Unanswerable.
Leading or loaded.
Double-barreled questions.

7. Guidelines for Evaluating the Adequacy of Questions
Use simple words, avoiding technical words
Avoid qualifying phrases
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

8. Considerations in Questionnaire Design_1
Confirm the research objectives before designing the questionnaire
Determine data requirements to complete each research objective
Include a general description of the study in the introduction section
Ensure instructions are clear
Arrange questions in a logical order

9. Considerations in Questionnaire Design_2
Begin with simple questions and then progress to more difficult ones
Ask person questions at the end
Place sensitive questions towards the end
Avoid asking questions using a different measurement format in the same section of the questionnaire
End with a thank-you statement

11. Individual Question Content
Double Barreled or Dichotomous Questions

12. Individual Question Content
Double Barreled or Dichotomous Questions
Should President Obama continue to advance the proposed health care and energy reforms?
A) Yes B) No
Do you think of professional football players as being independent agents or as employees of their team?
A) Yes B) No

13. Overcoming Unwillingness To Answer Increasing the Willingness of Respondents
Place sensitive topics at the middle (not the end) of the questionnaire.
Preface the question with a statement that the behavior of interest is common.
Ask the question using the third-person technique: phrase the question as if it referred to other people.
Hide the question in a group of other questions which respondents are willing to answer.
Provide response categories rather than asking for specific figures.
Use randomized techniques.

14. Proper Question Order Funnel Approach 1. General 2. Sensitive
© 2005 J.M.H.

15. Inability & Unwillingness
Deceptive Feedback
New Car Customer Satisfaction Survey
Full Tank of Gas vs. Honest Response to Corp.
Lunch kits
Honest Response vs. Inventory Control
Product Satisfaction or Improvements
“Have your cake and eat it too” – listing everything as the most important.

16. Incentives
Doesn’t have to be money

17. Incentives Inducement
Should President George W. Bush raise your taxes to fund future Social Security?
o No
o Yes
o Not Sure
At the end of the questionnaire, there will be an additional question regarding how much you feel your taxes should be raised or lowered?

18. Example of Inducement Effects

19. Question Structure Unstructured Free response Structured Dichotomous
Multiple Choice (choose all that apply)
Likert Questions
Batteries
Paired Comparisons
Ranking
Constant Sum or Anchored Sum

20. 5) Question Structure Unstructured Free response
Which credit card do you use the most?

21. 5) Question Structure Structured Dichotomous
Which credit card do you use the most?
o Visa
o Mastercard

22. 5) Question Structure Structured
Multiple Choice (choose all that apply)
Likert Questions
Which credit card do you use the most?
o Visa
o Mastercard

23. 5) Question Structure Structured
Multiple Choice (choose all that apply)
Batteries
On a 1-5 scale (where 1= youthful and 5 = old),
please indicate your first impression when you think
each of the following sodas:
Pepsi o o o o o
Coke o o o o o
Dr. Pepper o o o o o

24. 5) Question Structure Structured
Multiple Choice (choose all that apply)
Semantic Differentials
Evaluate Brand X on the following characteristics:
Attractive Unattractive
o o o o o
Simple Complicated

25. 5) Question Structure Structured
Multiple Choice (choose all that apply)
Paired Comparisons
Which brand of soda do you enjoy the most?
o Pepsi
o Coca-Cola

26. 5) Question Structure Ranking
Please rank your preference (1-5) for each
of the following breakfast cereals:
__ Lucky Charms
__ Fruit Loops
__ Frosted Mini Wheats
__ Corn Pops
__ Waffle Crisp

27. 5) Question Structure Constant Sum or Anchored Sum
Please allocate 100 points among the following
traits to indicate how important they are to you when
selecting a cold cereal to buy at a grocery store:
__ Price
__ Brand Name
__ Nutrition
__ Free Offers (ex: toys, shirts, etc.)
__ Current Coupons
__ Size of Box
__ Sweetness
__ Resealable Bag

28. Question Wording Absolutes Nonspecific Questions Applicability
(1) Have you stopped cheating yet on exams ? A) Yes B) No
Absolutes
(2) The last person I bought something from was perfectly honest: A) Yes B) No
Nonspecific Questions
(3) Do you like orange juice? A) Yes B) No
(4) Do you watch TV regularly? A) Yes B) No

29. Role of a Cover Letter Initial Contacting Device
Encourage Participation
Provide Study Information
Communicate Study’s
Legitimacy
Improve Response Rates

30. Guidelines for Developing Cover Letters_1
Personalize letter
Identify sponsoring organization
State purpose and importance clearly
Promise anonymity or confidentiality
Clarify the general time frame of doing study

31. Guidelines for Developing Cover Letters_2
Reinforce importance of participation
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

32. Other Documents Used in Collecting Data
Supervisor instructions
Interviewer instructions
Screening forms
Quota sheets
Call record sheets

33. Sample Screening-Quota Sheet

34. Sample Rating Card

35. Call Record Sheet Sample

36. More Examples