Page 135 - DMGT209_QUANTITATIVE_TECHNIQUES_II

Quantitative Techniques-II

Notes Are the Questions Too Long?

Generally as a thumb rule, it is advisable to keep the number of words in a question not
exceeding 20. The question given below is too long for the respondent to comprehend, leave
alone answer.

Example: Do you accept that the people whom you know, and associate yourself have
been receiving ESI and P.F benefits from the government accept a reduction in those benefits,
with a view to cut down government expenditure, to provide more resources for infrastructural
development?
Yes _________ No_________ Can’t say_________

Participation at the Expense of Accuracy

Sometimes the respondent may not have the information that is needed by the researcher.

Example:
 The husband is asked a question “How much does your family spend on groceries in a
week”? Unless the respondent does the grocery shopping himself, he will not know how
much has been spent. In a situation like this, it will be helpful to ask a ‘filtered question’.
An example of a filtered question can be, “Who buys the groceries in your family”?
 “Do you have the information of Mr. Ben’s visit to Bangalore”? Not only should the
individual have the information but also s(he) should remember the same. The inability
to remember the information is known as “recall loss”.

Sequence and Layout

Some guidelines for sequencing the questionnaire are as follows:
Divide the questionnaire into three parts:
(1) Basic information (2) Classification (3) Identification information. Items such as age, sex,
income, education etc. are questioned in the classification section. The identification part involves
body of the questionnaire. Always move from general to specific questions on the topic. This is
known as funnel sequence. Sequencing of questions is illustrated below:
(1) Which TV shows do you watch?
Sports .................... News ....................

(2) Which among the following are you most interested in?
Sports .................... News ....................
Music .................... Cartoon ....................
(3) Which show did you watch last week?

World Cup Football ....................
Bournvita Quiz Contest ....................
War News in the Middle East ....................
Tom and Jerry cartoon show ....................

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