Questionnaires

Questionnaires

1. A list of questions filled in by the sample (self completion) made up of mostly closed questions, but can sometimes have open questions, they mostly give quantitative data

2. Postal questionnaires

   • Easy to make anonymous, so people will be more likely to be honest, especially about sensitive topics
   • Can access a geographically wide sample and a variety of people
   • Expensive - have to pay to post it, and to get a higher response rate, could offer an incentive e.g. prize draw, but it makes it even more expensive
   • Low response rates, if people cannot be bothered to fill them in and send them back

3. Leading questions

   • When questions are worded in a way that encourages a certain answer
   • Evidence of researcher bias e.g the researcher's own views are affecting the answer

4. Strengths and weaknesses

   • Mostly closed questions
     • Each member of sample answering identical questions
       • Therefore high in reliability (easy to repeat)
   • Can be used to access a large sample
     • Easier to make sample representative
   • Respondents prevented from answering in their own words when closed questions are used
     • Therefore reduces validity
   • If only certain types of people in sample return questionnaire
     • Representativeness is reduced