Questionnaires

Questionnaires

A list of questions filled in by the sample (self completion) made up of mostly closed questions, but can sometimes have open questions, they mostly give quantitative data
Postal questionnaires
1. Easy to make anonymous, so people will be more likely to be honest, especially about sensitive topics
2. Can access a geographically wide sample and a variety of people
3. Expensive - have to pay to post it, and to get a higher response rate, could offer an incentive e.g. prize draw, but it makes it even more expensive
4. Low response rates, if people cannot be bothered to fill them in and send them back
Leading questions
1. When questions are worded in a way that encourages a certain answer
2. Evidence of researcher bias e.g the researcher's own views are affecting the answer
Strengths and weaknesses
1. Mostly closed questions
  1. Each member of sample answering identical questions
    1. Therefore high in reliability (easy to repeat)
2. Can be used to access a large sample
  1. Easier to make sample representative
3. Respondents prevented from answering in their own words when closed questions are used
  1. Therefore reduces validity
4. If only certain types of people in sample return questionnaire
  1. Representativeness is reduced

Resource summary

	Created by eharveyhudl almost 10 years ago