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    5 Common Survey Question Mistakes

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    Emerica Llanes
    5 common mistakes to avoid when writing survey questions are: 1) leading questions that sway respondents, 2) loaded questions that force responses, 3) double-barreled questions that ask two things at once, 4) questions with absolute terms like "always" that limit responses, and 5) questions that use unclear or unfamiliar language. Using clear, unbiased language and focusing questions on single topics will result in more accurate responses and higher survey completion rates.

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    5 Common Survey Question Mistakes

    Uploaded by

    Emerica Llanes
    112 views3 pages
    5 common mistakes to avoid when writing survey questions are: 1) leading questions that sway respondents, 2) loaded questions that force responses, 3) double-barreled questions that ask two things at once, 4) questions with absolute terms like "always" that limit responses, and 5) questions that use unclear or unfamiliar language. Using clear, unbiased language and focusing questions on single topics will result in more accurate responses and higher survey completion rates.

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    5 common mistakes to avoid when writing survey questions are: 1) leading questions that sway respondents, 2) loaded questions that force responses, 3) double-barreled questions that ask two things at once, 4) questions with absolute terms like "always" that limit responses, and 5) questions that use unclear or unfamiliar language. Using clear, unbiased language and focusing questions on single topics will result in more accurate responses and higher survey completion rates.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    112 views3 pages

    5 Common Survey Question Mistakes

    Uploaded by

    Emerica Llanes
    5 common mistakes to avoid when writing survey questions are: 1) leading questions that sway respondents, 2) loaded questions that force responses, 3) double-barreled questions that ask two things at once, 4) questions with absolute terms like "always" that limit responses, and 5) questions that use unclear or unfamiliar language. Using clear, unbiased language and focusing questions on single topics will result in more accurate responses and higher survey completion rates.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    5 common survey question

    mistakes that will ruin your data


    Avoid these 5 common survey mistakes:

    1. Don’t write leading questions


    Top survey mistake #1: Questions should never be worded in a way that will sway the
    reader to one side of the argument. Usually you can tell a question is leading if it includes
    non-neutral wording.

    Bad Question: How short was Napoleon?

    The word “short” immediately brings images to the mind of the respondent. If the question is
    rewritten to be neutral-sounding, it can eliminate the leading bias.

    Good Question: How would you describe Napoleon’s height?

    Leading questions can also be the cause of unnecessary additions to the question.

    Bad Question: Should concerned parents use infant car seats?

    The term “concerned parents” leads the respondent away from the topic at hand. Instead,
    stay focused by only including what is needed in the question.

    Good Question: Do you think special car seats should be required for infant passengers?

    2. Avoid loaded questions


    Loaded questions are questions written in a way that forces the respondent into an answer
    that doesn’t accurately reflect his or her opinion or situation. This key survey mistake will
    throw off your survey respondents and is one of the leading contributors to respondents
    abandoning surveys.

    Bad Question: Where do you enjoy drinking beer?

    By answering this question, the respondent is announcing that they drink beer. However,
    many people dislike beer or will not drink alcohol and therefore can’t answer the question
    truthfully.

    Usually, loaded questions are best avoided by pretesting your survey to make sure every
    respondent has a way to answer honestly.

    In the case of the example above, you may choose to ask a preliminary question on whether
    the respondent drinks beer and use skip logic to let people who don’t drink beer pass over
    the questions that don’t apply to them.
    3. Stay away from double-barreled questions
    What is a double-barreled question? It’s one of the most common survey mistakes. And it’s
    when you force respondents to answer two questions at once. It’s also a great way to ruin
    your survey results.

    Survey questions should always be written in a way that only one thing is being measured. If
    a single question has two subjects, it’s impossible to tell how the respondent is weighing the
    different elements involved.

    Bad Question: How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the pay and work benefits of your
    current job?

    In the case of the example above, it makes sense to break the question into two; satisfaction
    with pay and satisfaction with work benefits. Otherwise, some of your respondents will be
    answering the question while giving more weight to pay, and others will answer giving more
    weight to work benefits.

    Good Questions: How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the pay of your current job?
    How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the work benefits of your current job?

    It’s also easy to double-barrel a question by giving more than one group for the respondent
    to consider.

    Bad Question: How useful will this textbook be for students and young professionals in the
    field?

    Now the respondent is forced to give a single answer for both parties. Instead break the
    question into two; one measuring usefulness for students and one measuring usefulness for
    professionals.

    Good Questions: How useful will this textbook be for students? How useful will this
    textbook be for young professionals in the field?

    4. Absolutely do not use absolutes in questions


    Absolutes in questions force respondents into a corner where they can’t give useful
    feedback. These questions usually have the options Yes/No and include wording such as
    “always,” “all,” “every,” “ever,” etc.

    Bad Question: Do you always eat breakfast? (Yes/No)

    Read literally, the example above would force almost any respondent to answer “No.” Even
    then, there would be some respondents who would interpret the question as asking whether
    they always eat a full breakfast when they have a chance.

    The inflexibility of absolutes makes questions too rigid to be used in a survey. Instead, the
    question should have a variety of options that people will feel more comfortable choosing
    from.
    Good Question: How many days a week do you usually eat breakfast? (Every day/ 5-6
    days/ 3-4 days/ 1-2 days/ I usually don’t eat breakfast)

    5. Be clear by speaking your respondent’s


    language
    Regardless of who’s taking your survey, use clear, concise, and uncomplicated language
    while trying to avoid acronyms, technical terms or jargon that may confuse your respondents.
    And make sure to provide definitions or examples if you need to include tricky terms or
    concepts. That way, you can be certain that almost anybody can answer your questions
    easily, and that they’ll be more inclined to complete your survey.

    Bad Question: Do you own a tablet PC?

    Good Question: Do you own a tablet PC? (e.g. iPad, Android tablet)

    Bad Question: What was the state of the cleanliness of the room?

    Good Question: How clean was the room?

    Generally, you should strive to write questions using language that is easily understood.
    Certain sample groups, however, may have a knowledge base that can make the use of
    more difficult terms and ideas a viable option.

    Ask yourself if your respondents have a deep understanding of certain events, terms, and
    issues dealt with in the survey. The more you can focus on writing good questions, as
    opposed to explaining things in common terms, the better.

    For example, if you’re surveying patients in a hospital, you’ll want to avoid using medical
    jargon. However, if your survey sample is made up of doctors, it makes sense to ask more
    specialized questions and use higher level medical vocabulary.

    By avoiding these five common survey-writing mistakes, your survey should run like a
    well-oiled machine, your data will be more accurate, and your respondents will exit your
    survey feeling great because they’ve shared honest and accurate feedback. Triple win! So
    put your writing cap on and get to creating those questions.

    Having trouble thinking of the right thing to say? We’ve got lots of resources to help you out.
    Or get in touch with our on-site experts, who’ll design your survey for you.

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