Designing Questionnaires

Discussion Questions

• What do you think about the questionnaires?

• Would you complete them? • Do you understand the questions?• What are the strengths and weaknesses of

each of the questionnaires?

HAVE A CLEAR PURPOSE!

MAKE SURE EVERYBODY INVOLVED HAS THE SAME UNDERSTANDING OF THE PURPOSE!

CONSIDER EVERY QUESTION AND THE DATA IT WILL GATHER IN LIGHT OF THE PURPOSE!

Covering letter

• Personalise if possible• Explain purpose of questionnaire• Include named contact• What will happen to responses

– Confidentiality– Publication– Decision making

• What is in it for respondent• Length

Questionnaire• Clear instructions• Sensibly ordered• Large font size• Well spaced out• Short length• Instructions at start• Same font throughout• Have consistent write-in boxes / options for

answers

Questions

• Easy to understand– Are you able to communicate effectively in the

local language of the Hellenic Republic?– Can you speak Greek?

• Completely unambiguous– If there is any chance a question can be

misinterpreted, then it will be misinterpreted

Questions

• Where were you born?– In Bishop Auckland General Hospital– In Bishop Auckland– In County Durham– In England– In Great Britain– In the United Kingdom

Harmonised Questions• Scottish Government working on a set of harmonised

core questions– Consultation– Cognitive testing– Pilot testing

• Time and financial savings• Allows comparisons to other surveys• Minimises risk of offence• Minimises risk of misunderstanding and poor data

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About/SurveyHarm