MARKETING SURVEYS

29.2

Constructing the Questionnaire A questionnaire has

validity when the questions asked measure what they were intended to measure. It’s VALID

Reliability exists when a research technique produces nearly identical results in repeated trials. It’s RELIABLE

Conducting the Questionnaire

Questions should be

clear and easy to

understand

All participants need

to understand that

question in the same

way

Sample Questions

Was your food hot? Spicy? Temperature?

How often do you eat out? At sit-down restaurants? At any place other than home?

Types of Questions

Open-ended

questions ask

respondents to

construct their own

response to a question.

Generates a wide

variety of responses

Sometimes responses

are difficult to

categorize

Types of Questions

Forced-choice questions

ask respondents to choose

answers from possibilities

given on a questionnaire.

Formats include:

Two-Choice Questions (Yes/No)

Multiple-Choice Questions

Rating or Ranking Scales

Level of Agreement Scales

Two-Choice or Yes/No Questions

Should be used only when asking for a

response on one issue

Example:

“Was our facility clean?”

“Were the grounds well maintained?”

NOT – “Was our facility clean and well

maintained?”

WHY NOT?

Multiple Choice Questions

It is important to make the

options:

Mutually exclusive - Can’t

both be true at the same

time

Comprehensive – includes

all possible responses

Most surveys will include

“other” to be sure all

options are covered

Multiple Choice Questions

Example: “When given the choice between all of

the rental car companies listed below, which do you prefer? (check only one) Alamo Avis Budget Dollar Enterprise Hertz Other __________________

Adding “other” increase the reliability. If it was not an option customers might just

choose any of the ones listed

Rating Scale Questions

Asking respondents to rate a product or service

Examples: From very unsatisfied to very satisfied From excellent to poor

How would you rate your reception by the front desk staff?

HelpfulnessExcellent Good Fair Poor

Check in speedExcellent Good Fair Poor

InformativeExcellent Good Fair Poor

Level of Agreement Questions Used for assessing attitudes or opinions Commonly used options are strongly agree

to strongly disagree

Indicate your level of agreement with each statement.“I am extremely health conscious.”Strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly

disagree

“I do not like vegetables.”Strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly

disagree

“Eating healthy is important to me.”Strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly

disagree

Poor Questions

Leading questions – a question that suggests a correct answer

Example: “Do you prefer X or the more reasonably

priced Y?” Bias questions – encouraging one answer

over another Example:

“Don’t you agree that school parking is a problem?”

Poor Questions

Avoid questions that could

cause respondents to guess

How many students at Stone

Bridge drink coffee on a daily

basis?Less than10%35%75%100%

Basic Guidelines for Writing Questions

Questions should be

clear and concise.

Consistent ranking or

rating scales should

be used for similar

questions.

Formatting the Questionnaire

Use dark ink, preferably black.

Use light paper. Use fonts and types

that are easy to read. It should be short

enough to answer quickly.

Use section headings and numbers where appropriate.

Formatting Content

Directions for completing

the questionnaire must be

clear for each section or

group of questions.

General demographic

questions are typically

grouped together at the end

of the questionnaire.

Administering the Questionnaire

All surveys should have deadlines for

completion.

Surveys should always include a brief

explanation of purpose.

What information is the survey attempting

to collect?

Who is eligible to participate?

Many questionnaires offer incentives for

participation.

See What You Know!

Pull out the Pop-

Tarts survey that

you completed at

the start of class.

Next to each

question, label

the type of

question that is

used.

Types of

Questions

Open-ended

Two-choice

Multiple-choice

Rating

Ranking

Level of

Agreement