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The questions you write will ultimately determine the usefulness of the answers
you collect, so pay careful attention not only to what you ask, but how you ask
it. Poorly worded questions can result in useless, biased answers and can even
cause participants to lose interest and leave your survey incomplete. Points to
keep in mind when writing your questions include:
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Keep your questions short and to the point. By using simple language and
avoiding jargon and acronyms, you make your questions easy to read and increase
the probability that your respondents will complete your survey.
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Avoid writing questions that make assumptions. For example, you
shouldn't ask "Is your dog male or female?" without leaving room for the
possibility that respondents may not own a dog.
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Avoid asking leading questions such as: "Through phone conversations
with my customers, I've learned that most people prefer to receive their
newsletter in text format as opposed to HTML. How do you prefer to receive your
newsletter?" The stated preference will bias the results.
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Avoid questions that ask respondents to reveal sensitive or embarrassing
information (or if you must ask the question, place it towards the end
of your survey, after a few non-threatening but related questions).
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Limit the number of open-ended questions you ask (that is, questions
that require a written response) as these are less likely to be answered.
Well-written multiple choice and scaled questions (questions that ask the
respondent to rate something) are generally preferred because they're faster to
answer.
Most important, be careful that you don't succumb to the temptation to ask every
question you can think of, regardless of whether or not it contributes to your
objectives. Do you really need to know the middle name of their grandmother's
first cousin? Probably not. The fewer questions you ask, the more responses
you'll receive. And more responses equals more accurate, more useful data!
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