Survey Approach

Designing the Instrument

Some initial decisions need to be made about the type of questions that will be asked. First, the balance of open-ended (i.e., write-in) versus closed-ended (Likert-type) questions must be considered. Openended questions provide a wealth of information but also take significantly longer to code and interpret. Open-ended questions also provide an opportunity for respondents to ramble, so the questions need to be very specific to prevent unintended or uninterpretable responses. Closed-ended questions are much easier to summarize but don't provide respondents with any real opportunity for elaboration. Closed-ended questions present different problems, though, in terms of their construction. In an attempt to gather more information, survey designers often create unintentionally double-barreled questions that ask for two separate pieces of information (e.g., asking respondents in one question to rate their pay and benefits). Post hoc interpretation is impossible because the focus of the respondents is not clear (e.g., did they rate pay or benefits or both?). Questions need to address issues that respondents know about, avoid jargon or acronyms that respondents may not know, and use the simplest language possible. Always put the most sensitive questions toward the end of the survey to avoid losing potential respondents before they really begin.

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