Questionnaires
The questionnaire stage of your project is potentially the most important insofar as its results will underpin the entire Parish Plan going forward.
The formulation of a successful questionnaire is a
science, and getting it right will mean that community members and decision-makers alike will
have confidence in your findings and recommendations. Getting it wrong, on the other hand, could
condemn your final publication to statistical ignominy.
The primary targets of a community questionnaire are twofold :
- To generate the highest possible response rate among the recipients
- To gather the most pertinent empirical evidence which will underpin
highlighted problems and their subsequent recommended solutions
We can assist you in every aspect of questionnaire production, and have included below general best practices in questionnaire formulation.
If you would like to discuss the design and print of your questionnaires please do not hesitate in contacting us.
Questionnaire Guidance
Most problems with questionnaire analysis can be traced back to the design phase of the project. Well-defined goals are the best way to assure a good questionnaire design. When the goals of a study can be expressed in a few clear and concise sentences, the design of the questionnaire becomes considerably easier. The questionnaire is developed to directly address the goals of the study.
One of the best ways to clarify your study goals is to decide how you intend to use the information. Do this before you begin designing the study. This sounds obvious, but many researchers neglect this task. Why do research if the results will not be used?
Be sure to commit the study goals to writing. Whenever you are unsure of a question, refer to the study goals and a solution will become clear. Ask only questions that directly address the study goals. Avoid the temptation to ask questions because it would be “interesting to know”.
As a general rule, with only a few exceptions, long questionnaires get less response than short questionnaires. Keep your questionnaire short if possible, although where you are covering a large number of topics this may not be possible. Response rate is the single most important indicator of how much confidence you can place in the results. A low response rate can be devastating to a study. Therefore, you must do everything possible to maximise the response rate. One of the most effective methods of maximising response is to shorten the questionnaire.
Many people have difficulty knowing which questions could be eliminated. For the elimination round, read each question and ask, “How am I going to use this information?” If the information will be used in a decision-making process, then keep the question... it’s important. If not, throw it out.
One important way to ensure a successful survey is to include other experts and relevant decision makers in the questionnaire design process. Their suggestions will improve the questionnaire and they will subsequently have more confidence in the results.
Formulate a plan for doing the statistical analysis during the design stage of the project. Know how every question will be analysed and be prepared to handle missing data. If you cannot specify how you intend to analyse a question or use the information, do not use it in the survey.
Provide a well produced cover. The respondent’s first impression comes from the cover. The importance of the cover should not be underestimated. It provides your best chance to persuade the respondent to complete the survey.
Give your questionnaire a title that is short and meaningful to the respondent. A questionnaire with a title is generally perceived to be more credible than one without.
Include clear and concise instructions on how to complete the questionnaire. These must be very easy to understand, so use short sentences and basic vocabulary.
Begin with a few non-threatening and interesting items. If the first items are too threatening or “boring”, there is little chance that the person will complete the questionnaire. People generally look at the first few questions before deciding whether or not to complete the questionnaire. Make them want to continue by putting interesting questions first.
Use simple and direct language. The questions must be clearly understood by the respondent. The wording of a question should be simple and to the point. Do not use uncommon words or long sentences. Make items as brief as possible. This will reduce misunderstandings and make the questionnaire appear easier to complete. One way to eliminate misunderstandings is to emphasise crucial words in each item by using bold, italics or underlining.
The direct ‘tick box’ response categories are the most important, however you should also leave adequate space for respondents to make comments. One criticism of questionnaires is their inability to retain the “flavour” of a response. Leaving space for comments will provide valuable information not captured by the response categories. Leaving white space also makes the questionnaire look easier and this increases response.
Place the most important items in the first half of the questionnaire. Respondents often send back partially completed questionnaires. By putting the most important items near the beginning, the partially completed questionnaires will still contain important information.
Hold the respondent’s interest. We want the respondent to complete our questionnaire. One way to keep a questionnaire interesting is to provide variety in the type of items used. Varying the questioning format will also prevent respondents from falling into “response sets”. At the same time, it is important to group items into coherent categories. All items should flow smoothly from one to the next.
Provide incentives as a motivation for a properly completed questionnaire. What does the respondent get for completing your questionnaire? Altruism is rarely an effective motivator. If the information you are collecting is of interest to the respondent, offering a free summary report is also an excellent motivator. Whatever you choose, it must make the respondent want to complete the questionnaire.
Use professional production methods for the questionnaire. Be creative. Try different coloured inks and paper. The object is to make your questionnaire stand out from all the others the respondent receives.
Make it convenient. The easier it is for the respondent to complete the questionnaire the better. Always include a self-addressed postage-paid envelope, or the offer of collection. Envelopes with postage stamps get better response than business reply envelopes (although they are more expensive since you also pay for the non-respondents).
The final test of a questionnaire is to try it on representatives of the target audience. If there are problems with the questionnaire, they almost always show up here. If possible, be present while a respondent is completing the questionnaire and tell her that it is okay to ask you for clarification of any item. The questions she asks are indicative of problems in the questionnaire (i.e., the questions on the questionnaire must be without any ambiguity because there will be no chance to clarify a question when the survey is posted).