Essentials of Marketing Research Kumar, Aaker, Day Chapter Ten Designing the Questionnaire

Essentials of Marketing Research Kumar, Aaker, Day

Chapter Ten

Designing the QuestionnaireDesigning the Questionnaire


Designing the Questionnaire

Logical Steps to Develop a Good Questionnaire

• Plan what to measure

• Formulate questions

• Order and wording of questions and the layout of the questionnaire

• Test for omissions and ambiguity

• Correct the problems (pretest again, if necessary)


Planning what to measure

• What was the objective of the research study again?

• Exploratory research will suggest more variables

• Pre-testing with a small sample

• Ask yourself the question: “How will this information be used”


Designing the Questionnaire

Formulating the Question• Degree of freedom of response to be given to respondents

Alternatives– Open ended with no classification

• E.g. Tell us what you know about mutual funds?

– Open ended with pre-coded classifications used to record the response

• E.g. Do you think mutual funds are a worthwhile investment?

– Close ended or structured format with responses to be considered

• E.g. I think mutual funds are worthwhile investments

• Strongly Agree…1…2…3…4…5…Strongly Disagree


Questions must meet 4 requirements

You must ask the right questions

Respondents must understand the questions

Respondents must know the answers

Respondents must be willing to tell you those answers.


Types of Questions

1. Open-response question:People look for different things in a job. What would you prefer most in a job?

2. Closed-response question:People look for different things in a job. What would you prefer most in a job?– Work that pays well– Work that gives a sense of accomplishment– Work where you make most decisions by yourself– Work that is steady with little chance of being laid off.


Open Ended Questions

• Advantages

– Gain insight into the problem

– Too many options to list

– When verbatim responses are desired to give the flavor of the problem

– When behavior to be measured is sensitive or disapproved

– Interviewer / questionnaire structure influence can be minimal

• Diasdvantages

– Inarticulate respondents

– Interviewer’s skill in recording quickly and summarizing accurately

– Time consuming, subjective judgments while tabulating, adds to cost


Closed-response Questions

Two Basic Formats for Closed Ended or Structured Questions

• Choice from a list of responses

• Appropriate single-choice rating on a scale



What type of fast-food restaurant do you visit most often?

Burger MexicanChicken PizzaSeafood ChineseDon’t know Other (please specify)



What is your overall satisfaction with McDonalds Hamburgers?

Very satisfied Quite Satisfied Somewhat satisfied Not at all satisfied

Very satisfied 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Not at all satisfied



• Advantages

– Easy to understand, quick responses possible

– Micro-differences in responses can be captured

– Easier tabulation and analysis

– Answers are directly comparable from respondent to respondent

• Disadvantages

– Neutral category may attract more responses than warranted

– Information between categories may be lost (extreme case – dichotomous categories)


Issues in Questionnaire Design

• Mutually exclusive choices

How many long-distance calls do you make in a week?

less than 5 5-10 More than 10.

• Number of response categories – 5 to 7 is ideal



• Order of response categories

What factor influences your fast-food restaurant choice most ?

Convenient location Quality of food Menu selection Fast service Reasonable prices Brand name Cleanliness



• Range of response categories

How many long-distance calls do you make in a week?

less than 5 less than 10 5-10 or 10-20 More than 10. More than 20.



• Respondent uncertainty

– Should respondents be provided with aDon’t know or No opinion option?

– When it is important to differentiate between ambivalence and ignorance, both options should be provided



• Question Wording - Vocabulary– Simple, easy to understand, commonly

used language

– Avoid technical words and jargon (unless sample is technically qualified)

– Words meaning something else in different languages and cultures (e.g. Nova meaning “no go” in Spanish; “mist stick’ meaning manure in German, etc.)


Question Wording

• AmbiguityHow many times per month do you

visit a fast-food restaurant? Never Occasionally Sometimes Often


Question Wording

• Are any questions "double-barreled”?

Are you satisfied with the price and the service of Taco Bell?


Question Wording

• Are any questions loaded or leading?1) Don’t you think, because its so greasy, fast-

food is one of the worst types of food? …leading question

2) Do you prefer a hamburger that is grilled on a hot stainless-steel grill or cooked by passing the raw meat through an open gas flame?...loaded question

• Both skew responses in the desired direction• Questions which threaten respondent self-

esteem e.g. occupation question produces more “executives”



• Question Wording– vocabulary

– “double-barreled” questions

– leading or loaded questions

– Instructions• Complicated or lengthy instructions confuse

and bias respondents


Question Wording

• Is the question applicable to all respondents?

Why do you like fast-food?

Assumes respondents like fast foodsBetter strategy would be to ask a filter

question first.


Question Wording

• Question length– Should be short– Longer questions confuse and fatigue respondents

• Sensitive questions– Questions on information perceived to be

embarrassing, like personal income, criminal activities, alcoholism, smoking, drugs habits, social desirability issues, etc.

– Creativity rules (assurances of confidentiality, anonymity, slipping it in sideways, open-ended questions, asking in third person, etc.)


Sequence And Layout Decisions

• Opening questions – easy and non-threatening

• Flow – smooth and logical – avoid jumps

• Broad to specific

• Critical questions – placed in the middle

• Appealing and interesting

• Order bias – the possibility that subsequent responses are influenced by preceding responses e.g. fewer people will say that their taxes are too high after being asked whether govt. spending should be increased in certain areas.

• Quality of paper

Organization of a Typical Questionnaire

Location Type Function Example

Starting questions Broad, general questions

To break the ice and establish a report with the respondent

Do you own a personal computer?

Next few questions Simple and direct questions

To reassure the respondent that the survey is simple and easy to answer

What brands of personal computers did you consider when you bought it?

Questions up to a third of the questionnaire

Focused questions Relate more to the research objectives and convey to the respondent the area of research

What attributes did you consider when you purchased you personal computer?

Major portion of the questionnaire

Focused questions; some may be difficult and complicated

To obtain most of the information required for the research

Rank the following attributes of a personal computer based on their importance to you

Last few questions Personal questions that may be perceived by the respondent as sensitive

To get classification and demographic information about the respondent

What is the highest level of education you have attained?


Pretesting and Correcting Problems

• Pretesting Specific Questions For• Meaning

• Task difficulty

• Respondent interest and attention

• Pretesting the overall Questionnaire• Flow of the questionnaire

• Skip patterns

• Length

• Put yourself in the respondent’s shoes and answer the questionnaire.


Examples – spot the problems in the questions

Why did you purchase a Sony Walkman?

Great self-expressive benefits High quality Good service Great bass to treble ratio Better warranty Looks good


Examples – spot the problems in the questions

Don’t you think Budweiser makes the best commercials Yes No

Which of the following restaurants do you visit frequently?

Burger King Pizza Hut Subway KFC McDonalds


Examples

Do you agree that, since fast-food restaurants produce a disproportionate amount of waste, they should be subject to an additional environmental tax?

YesNo

What is your annual income


Examples

How often do you eat fast food?

Daily Every second day Once a week Every two weeks

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Essentials of Marketing Research Kumar, Aaker, Day Chapter Ten Designing the Questionnaire