Essentials of

Marketing Research
Questionnaire
Designing
Basit Afzal

The Functions of a Questionnaire

Translates the research objectives into specific

questions
Standardizes those questions and the response
categories
Fosters cooperation and motivation
Serves as permanent records of the research

Can speed up the process of data analysis

Can serve as the basis for reliability and
validity measures

Questionnaire
Questionnaire: a set of questions designed to
generate the data necessary for achieving the
research objective

Every form of survey research relies on the use of

a questionnaire.

Provides standardization and uniformity in data

gathering

Allows a valid basis for comparing respondents'

answers

Steps in the Questionnaire

Development Process

Classifying Surveys
by Degree of Structure and Degree of Disguise

Avoid Complexity: use simple, conversational

language
Avoid leading and loaded questions

Structured

Unstructured

Avoid ambiguity: be as specific as possible

Example:
Example:

Undisguised

Typical descriptive survey

With straight-forward,
structured questions

Survey with open-ended

questions to discover
new answers or focus
group interview

Avoid double-barreled items

Avoid making assumptions
Avoid burdensome questions

Example:

Disguised

Example:

Survey interview to measure

brand As image versus
competitive brands images or
brand recall (unaided recall)

Projection techniques
used mostly for
exploratory research

1. Do you believe that private citizens have the right to

own firearms to defend themselves, their families, and
property from violent criminal attack?
Yes

No

Undecided

Dear Passenger:
American Airlines is pleased to have you on board today.

2. Do you believe that a ban on the private ownership

of firearms would be significantly reduce the number of
murders and robberies in your community?
Yes

No

Undecided

To help us provide the best service possible, we need to know

more about you and your opinions of our service. If you are
over 11 years old, we would appreciate it if you would complete
this questionnaire.
Your flight attendant will pick up your completed questionnaire
shortly.
Thank you.

Questionnaire Design

4. Please rate each of the following with regard to this flight, if applicable.
Excellent Good
Courtesy and Treatment from the:
Skycap at airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Airport Ticket Counter Agent . . . . .
Boarding Point (Gate) Agent . . . . .
Flight Attendants . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Your Meal or Snack. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Beverage Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seat Comfort. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Carry-On Stowage Space. . . . . . . .
Cabin Cleanliness . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Video/Stereo Entertainment . . . . . .
On-Time Departure . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fair

Poor

Criteria For a Good Questionnaire

Accommodate all of the research

objectives

Be able to generate necessary

decision-making information

Good design for each individual

question

Be convenient for the respondent

Be easy to conduct for the

interviewer

Be easy and fast to edit and code

Facilitate data entry

Question sequence
Order bias
Funnel technique
Filter bias

Question layout

The Key Tradeoff

The managerial aspect (information goal)

should always be the priority

The administrative aspect is usually more

emphasized than the scientific aspect

If there is a conflict, the accuracy of

information is usually sacrificed for the
willingness of cooperation

Checklist On Question Wording

How to Ask Good Questions

Question content/wording

Ask right question

Ask understandable question

Respondents must know the
answer

Respondents must be willing to
respond
Question format

open-ended/close-ended
questions

categories of choices

Is the vocabulary simple, direct, and

familiar to all respondents?

Do any words have vague or

ambiguous meanings?

Are any
barreled?

Are there any leading or loaded

questions?

Are the instructions potentially

confusing?

Is the question applicable to all

respondents?

Are the questions of appropriate

length?

questions

"double-

Loaded Questions

A question that is
designed to suggest a
socially
desirable
answer. Usually it is
emotionally charged.

Double barrelled Questions

Causes:
Choice of words; e.g. using emotionally-charged
words, such as in: In your opinion is it fair that the
Security Dept should be harassing students with
parking tickets?

Leading question: a question that suggests or

implies a certain answer.

Personal Questions
Causes:
The bandwagon effect e.g. Most Pakistanis have stopped eating junk
food. Do you eat junk food?
Partially mentioning some alternatives e.g. which fast food restaurant
do you prefer, Hardees or others?
Questions with the phrase: Dont you think that ..

General
Questionnaire
Sequence

Handling Sensitive Questions

Put sensitive/objectionable questions at the end

overall topics

demographics
AFTER YOU HAVE:

- created an investment by the respondent

- built up your credibility

Hide in a group of more innocuous questions

State that the behavior or attitude is not unusual
Phrase in terms of others and how they might
feel or react
State the response in terms of number of
categories that the respondent may simply
check

Determine Question Response

Format
Open-Ended Questions:

More variety in responses

Difficult to edit and code
Do not work well in mail survey with no
interviewer to probe the answers
(e.g. Q: Why did you purchase brand X? A: I
just liked it )

Close-Ended Questions:

Easier for both respondent and researcher

List of potential answers may cause distortion

Ordering Effect: An Example

Q5: Are there more programs that include too
much violence and brutality

Branching/Skip Pattern

Q6: Should big advertisers demand higher

standards of program quality
Q7: Should federal funding for public TV be
increased, cut, or kept at current level?

Do not use branching unless it is absolutely

necessary
Interviewers should have sufficient practice
before going to field with branching questions
Used less often in mail survey than in other
types of surveys
Computerized survey makes it easy to
implement branching. However, still do not
overuse it

Evaluate and Pretest

Questionnaire

Evaluate the questionnaire with clients

Evaluate/Pretest the questionnaire with
researcher (analyze dummy answers)
Pretest the questionnaire with respondents
Pretest the questionnaire with interviewers
Assess the time and cost

Typical Features of Unprofessional

Designed Questionnaire

Use too many open-ended questions

Give too much burden to respondents
(e.g. check your top 10 reasons for)
Forget introduction and final thank you
Lack of logic in arranging the sequence of
questions

You should never start data collection

without pretesting!

Framework for Constructing a

Questionnaire

Identify
Correct
Respondent

Question Wording
PRETEST
and
Revise
Questionnaire

Considering your children, which of the following values do you feel are most
important for your children to possess as adults? (select only 3)

Three Most Important Values

Specify What
Information
Will be Sought

Question Structure

EXAMPLE OF STRUCTURED QUESTION Vs. OPEN END

Question Sequencing

1. Manners
2. Success
3. Honesty
4. Cleanliness
5. Good Judgment
6. Control
7. Spirtulaity
8. Amicable
9. Obedience
10. Responsible
11. Considerate
12. Confidence
13. Studious

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Question Sequence
and Order Effects

General Questionnaire Sequence

Start with simple more general questions

Once Committed
Hard to be
Unfair

nonthreatening
interesting
general respondent capability

37%
Difference !

General Questionnaire Sequence

Funnel respondent from general to specific

questions

throughout the questionnaire

What types of beverages do you drink on a weekly basis

Product Category

Which of the following beverages is your favorite

How many times per week do you drink this beverage
Which brands of soft drinks can you list below
Rate the following four brands along the
set of attributes

Brand Specific

Respondents will be looking for an Excuse

to Terminate or Stop Interview