Conducting Effective Surveys

1. Conducting Effective Surveys

2. Open or Closed Questions? • Decide whether you want to ask open questions, closed questions, or a mix of both!

3. Closed Questions… • An advantage of closed questions: The responses are easier to analyze. Example of closed question: • Do you consider waiting tables a high skill job, a medium skill job or a low skill job? Sample Answers: • Low skill, medium skill, high skill • Sample Results: 5 out of 7 people said they think waiting tables requires a low skill level.

4. Open Questions • An advantage of open questions: You get lots of good quotes and info to use in your paper! You could follow up the following closed question with an open question. Like this: • Closed: Do you consider waiting tables a high skill job, a medium skill job or a low skill job? • Open: Why do you think that?

5. Open Questions Continued… Sample Answer: “I think that waiting tables requires a medium skill level because you have to read, memorize and interact socially at a high level.” Sample Results: Twenty percent of the people surveyed said they think waiting tables requires a medium skill level.One respondent wrote: “I think that waiting tables requires a medium skill level because you have to read, memorize and interact socially at a high level.”

6. Avoid Leading Questions… Avoid forming a solid conclusion until you have finished your research. For example, you might firmly believe that waiters are treated poorly because people think their job requires a low skill level. As a result, you might write survey questions that lead the respondent to answer a certain way. Like this: • Do you agree that waiters are often mistreated because people think waiting tables is a low-skill job?

7. Instead Ask Non-leading Questions • The researcher should avoid forming a solid conclusion as she researches. She should keep an open mind to several possibilities. • Non-leading: • Do you consider waiting tables a high skill job, a medium skill job or a low skill job? • Why do you think that?

8. Avoid asking questions that are unrelated to your research question. • Research Question: • How do people view a waiters’ level of literacy at Denny’s? How does that affect the way they treat Denny’s waiters? • Unrelated question: • Do you prefer to eat out or cook? • Unrelated question: • What is your favorite item on the Denny’s menu?

9. Instead, ask related questions! • Related questions: • Have you ever complained to a manager about a waiter/waitress? • Why did you complain?

10. Avoid asking highly technical questions • Don’t ask questions that they won’t understand: • Example: Does a waiter need a high level of social literacy, a medium level of social literacy or a low level of social literacy? • Respondents might not understand what you mean by “social literacy.”

11. Instead, ask simply-worded questions: • Example: Do you consider waiting tables a high skill job, a medium skill job or a low skill job?

12. Avoid asking confusing questions. • What do you think about waiters? Respondents may be confused at this question because it is broad and vague.

13. Instead, ask clear, specific questions: • Have you ever reported a waiter/waitress to his/her manager? • If so, why?

14. Avoid asking “double-barreled” questions • Like this: Do you agree that waiters are mistreated and people who mistreat waiters should be punished by law?

15. Now you are ready to write strong and clear survey questions! 