1. Social Research Methods
Alan Bryman
Social Research Methods
Chapter 10: Self-administered questionnaires

2. What is a self-administered questionnaire?
Also called a self-completion questionnaire
No interviewer present
Respondent writes answers on form
Returned to researcher or deposited for collection
Usually postal questionnaires
Can be distributed in person or by
Page 221 2

3. Comparing self-completion questionnaires and structured interviews
Self-completion questionnaires tend to:
have fewer open questions
have easier to follow designs
be shorter, to reduce ‘respondent fatigue’
Page 222 3

4. Self-completion questionnaires have advantages…..
Cheaper and quicker to administer (to widely dispersed populations)
No interviewer variability
Convenience for respondents
Page 222

5. ….but many disadvantages
Cannot probe or prompt
Can only ask salient questions
Few open-ended or complex questions
Respondent can see the whole questionnaire before answering (question order effects)
Cannot ensure that the ‘right’ person answers
Cannot collect additional data
Respondent fatigue if too many questions
Excludes people with limited literacy skills
Greater risk of missing data
Lower response rates
Pages 223 and 224 5

6. Tips to improve response rates to postal questionnaires:
Since response rates are relatively low there is a risk of sample bias; a rate of 60%+ is needed to be acceptable (Mangione,1995).
Response rates can be improved by:
Writing a good covering letter
Including a stamped addressed envelope
Issuing reminders
Using shorter questionnaires
Give clear instructions
Using a layout attractive to the respondent
Use few open-ended questions
Providing monetary incentives
Page 225 and 226 6

7. Tips on designing a self-completion questionnaire:
Use an uncluttered layout
neither too short and cramped nor too long and bulky
Aim for clear presentation
variety of font sizes, bold print, italics, and CAPITAL letters can be used
but be consistent!
Page 226 7

8. Arrange fixed answers vertically
Because this makes the questionnaire less confusing to read
Because questions can be distinguished from answers
Because the respondent is less likely to make a mistake
Because the questionnaire is easier to pre-code
Pages 226 and 227 8

9. Give clear instructions about how to respond
how to indicate choice of answer:
a tick, a circle, an underline…..?
if more than one answer can be given:
sometimes you might want the respondent to select a number of possibilities from a list.
Page 228 9

10. Keep questions and answers together
Never spread a question over two pages
Locate the answers alongside each corresponding question, particularly for questions involving Likert scales
Page 229

11. Formatting a Likert scale
In the next set of questions, you are presented with a statement. You are being asked to indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with each statement by indicating whether you: Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), are Undecided (U), Disagree (D), or Strongly Disagree (SD).
Please indicate your level of agreement by circling the appropriate response.
23. My job is like a hobby to me.
SA A U D SD
24. My job is usually interesting enough to keep me from getting bored.
SA A U D SD
25. It seems that my friends are more interested in their jobs.
26. I enjoy my work more than my leisure time.
Tips and skills
Page 228

12. Online social surveys
There has been a huge growth in online administration of surveys. They come in different forms
Surveys
-Embedded – in the body of an – using x or deleting alternatives, typing in answers etc. Easy to manage, higher response rate than attached survey
-Attached – as an attachment and the explains it – again respondents type answers. Possibilities in terms of appearance
Web surveys
-Respondents are invited to visit a website where the questionnaire can be completed. It can be widely embellished in appearance, filter questions can be used, answers can be programmed to download into a database eliminating the coding aspect
Page

13. Online social surveys
There has been a huge growth in online administration of surveys. They come in different forms:
Surveys
Embedded – in the body of an – using x or deleting alternatives, typing in answers etc. Easy to manage, higher response rate than attached survey
Attached – as an attachment and the explains it – again respondents type answers. Possibilities in terms of appearance
Web surveys
Respondents are invited to visit a website where the questionnaire can be completed. It can be widely embellished in appearance, filter questions can be used, answers can be programmed to download into a database eliminating the coding
Page

14. Using mobile phones for self-administered questionnaires
Share characteristics with web surveys.
Surveys need to be adapted to fit the screen etc
May result in a lower response rate than using a computer and fewer words written
Tablets may be another viable option
Text methods can be employed
Pages 231 and 232 14

15. Mixed mode surveys
They entail the use of two or more modes of administering a survey ie. an interview and a self-administered questionnaire.
The use of and particular web surveys has increased possibilities for mixed mode research
Researchers need to be aware of possible mode effects
Dillman et al. (2014) proposed making question and response formats and visual appearance as similar as possible across modes to reduce mode effects
Pages 15

16. A diary study to examine gender and time use
Gershuny and Sullivan (2014) studied the ways in which the experience of domestic time is gendered:
The diaries recorded the amount of time spent by household members on particular activities
The diary method enabled Sullivan to show the differences between men and women regarding the performance of certain tasks and the proportion of their time spent on doing tasks together.
Research in focus 10.2
Page 239 16

17. Guidelines for preparing a diary for quantitative research
Corti (1993)
provide clear instructions for respondents about how to complete diary and how often
include model of a completed diary entry
provide checklist of items, events or behaviours to include in each entry
show blocks of time in columns
Page 239 17

18. Evaluating diaries as a form of self-completion questionnaire
Advantages
precise estimates of time spent on activities (valid, reliable data)
shows chronological order of events
useful for personal or sensitive issues
Disadvantages
cost of producing diaries and monitoring completion
boredom, fatigue and attrition
failure to record details
selective inclusion of events
Page 240 18