How to design a questionnaire

The questionnaire is a commonly used research instrument for gathering and recording information. It is tailor made to meet the information requirements of the market research and therefore lies at the heart of the research process. Before a questionnaire can be designed and used, you need to ask yourself the following:

• What information is required?
• For whom is it required?
• Which method of communication will be used?

Once you have thought about the aim of your research and what you intend to do with the information you receive, you can start to put your questions together. Ask questions that are relevant to your research. Try to resist the temptation to ask questions out of curiosity.

What should a questionnaire contain?

The questionnaire should include the following:

1. Title & Instructions

This should be a short title that tells the respondent the nature of the questionnaire. The title should be followed by instructions on how to complete the questionnaire.

2. Identify your respondents

This usually contains the name, address of respondent, date, time, length, place of interview and name of interviewer in case any check back is needed. If you do ask for this information, be sure to state your policy on confidentiality. Bear in mind that asking respondents to identify themselves, may have an adverse effect on the response rate and credbility of the answers given.

3. Put the information into appropriate groups

Identify and group information which will help to define the individual for the purpose of analysing responses. This include information such as age, sex, and occupation of head of household, income group and marital status.

4. Ask the questions on your subject

This forms part of the majority of the questionnaire. The early questions should be of interest to the respondent and be easy to answer. Questions that are either uninteresting or rather personal should appear as late as possible in the questionnaire. Try to vary the questioning format to prevent the respondent from answering the questions 'automatically'.

How should the questions be worded?

The wording of the questions should be as such that the respondent fully understands what is required and accurate responses are encouraged. Here are some tips to bear in mind:

• Avoid jargon and technical language.
• Ensure that words have the same meaning for the respondent as they have for the researcher.
• Be clear and specific as possible, for example what does frequently mean?
• Avoid questions or words with meanings which would invite particular responses, instead select words that are least likely to bias response.
• If there is more than one topic in the questionnaire, 'cushion' the change of subject with an introductory phrase.

Coding

For quantitative data, pre-coding should be used whenever possible. The code numbers should be printed onto the questionnaire and the interviewer simply rings the appropriate code. Pre-coding should help to reduce the cost of research. To code open-ended questions, each point raised is coded with a number, which is written on the questionnaire. Code numbers are allocated from a coding frame, which is constructed by a research executive.

Once you have put your questionnaire together, check whether:

• All questions are really needed.
• Each question is sufficient to generate the required information.
• The respondent will answer the question correctly.
• The questions are in logical sequence.
• The questionnaire is kept short, ideally one to two pages.

Incentive

You may also wish to consider offering an incentive to complete the questionnaire, for example, a free summary report.

Return

Make it easy as possible for the respondent to return the questionnaire. If the questionnaire is self-completion or sent by post, enclose a prepaid, addressed envelope. Another means of return is to ask the respondent to deposit the questionnaire in a special container that is placed at a convenient location.

Covering Letter

A covering letter may help to persuade a respondent to complete the questionnaire. It is usually sent with a questionnaire by post. It should include information on the purpose of the questionnaire, your contact details, any incentives, instructions on how to complete the questionnaire and how long it should take, how to return the questionnaire and your confidentiality policy. If you are not sending your questionnaire by post, and your questionnaire includes this information, it is not necessary to also attach a covering letter.

Piloting

Before committing yourself to a full-scale exercise, test out your questionnaire on a sample selection of people from your target market. Piloting a questionnaire on a small-scale can help to iron out any 'bugs' so that it can be refined before the full survey goes ahead.

Download an example questionnaire

Suggested next stage:Starting up: Choosing a business structure

Useful Sites

The Market Research Society

British Market Research Association

Chartered Institute of Marketing