How to Write a Survey or Questionnaire.
To write a survey or questionnaire, you want
to cover every possibility and avoid being
misunderstood.
Make sure you know what information you're
after and make it easy for your subjects to
help you find it.
You will need Defined issues Writing and editing
skills Clarity and test subjects.
Step 1.
Prepare by defining the issues you are exploring
and the objectives for the questionnaire.
Clarify specifically what you want answered,
eliminating generalizations, so that you can
draw reliable data.
Step 2.
Design succinct and unambiguous questions
with familiar words, and no abbreviations
or double negatives.
Be specific about timing, for instance, by
stipulating "Every three hours" instead of
"Often."
Open-format questions invite free-wheeling
responses that tend to be subjective.
Closed-format questions, like multiple choice,
are easier to tabulate and track for useful
information.
Step 3.
Separate questions rather than making them
dependent on previous or subsequent questions.
Dependent questions can confuse, alienate,
and add a level of uncertainty in your findings.
Step 4.
Avoid writing a survey or questionnaire that
uses leading questions that, intentionally
or not, preserve the likelihood of a certain
result.
Offer clearly distinct choices.
Step 5.
Ask questions that anticipate and encompass
all possible responses.
Expanding multiple choice surveys beyond four
or five will dilute the results.
Step 6.
Group the questions logically.
Make them simple, direct, and unthreatening.
If someone suspects an agenda, they will not
answer truthfully.
Step 7.
Test your questionnaire or survey on a small
but similar group before starting the official
study.
Get feedback about how questions were interpreted
and suggestions on how to fix problems.
Revise the survey based on your results, and
you will be on your way to creating a clear
study.
Did you know Gallup found a 12 percent increase
in voters who call themselves Independents
between elections in 2007, when their numbers
rose to 37 percent of the voting public, more
than either Democrats or Republicans.
