Here is an example of a sample survey / questionnaire you can use for carrying out your own market research. I hope the following ten steps will help you to successfully write your own surveys / questionnaires.
STEP 1: Identify a research objective for your survey / questionnaire
Before you begin developing your survey, you must decide what you want to accomplish. Clearly define a list of objectives or questions that you have about your business, customer, competitor, or product.
When you design your survey, make sure every question asked refers to one of the objectives you have outlined. If you frame questions without keeping the survey objectives in view, you may reduce the survey’s effectiveness.
STEP 2: Decide size and composition of sample
The results of a survey are worthless unless one can be assured that they are statistically accurate. This is expressed as the confidence level.
Most surveys aim to produce confidence levels of .95 (95%) or higher. This means that the results will be accurate 95 times out of 100. Confidence levels are dependent upon the number of people surveyed and there are precise formulas for calculating the confidence level you will get for the number of people you survey. Surveying 30 of your 700 customers will give you a low confidence level and meaningless results.
In addition to having the right number of people in the sample, you must also choose the right mix of people. There are a number of sampling procedures that may be used, depending on what you are trying to accomplish.
Samples can be selected at random, by cross section, stratified according to specific criteria etc. You must know which one to use, when to use it and how it will affect the results of the study.
STEP 3: Introduce the survey / questionnaire well
The beginning of your survey should include an interesting introduction that clearly explains the purpose of your research and let respondents know why they are filling it out.
Your introduction should be able to grab the attention of potential respondents and encourage their participation.
The introduction should also include instructions on how to complete the survey and an estimate of how much time it will take.
STEP 4: Think how to frame appropriate survey / questionnaire questions
Though creating a survey may seem easy, a considerable amount of skill and attention is required to create an effective survey.
Spend sufficient time and effort to carefully think out each question, as irrelevant and carelessly worded questions may produce substandard results. Making decisions based on bad results could create serious problems.
Start your surveys with an easy, or if feasible, a ‘fun’ question. Save the more confrontational type questions for the end.
Make sure your questions are clear and not open to interpretation as to their purpose.
There should only be one variable in each question, which in turn will make results easier to analyze.
Use basic vocabulary unless you are positive that your respondents are well-educated.
Include a privacy statement, if you intend to ask sensitive questions.
Try not to branch your questions. In other words, do not make your questions dependent from one to the next.
Different types of survey questions
There are five basic types of questions to choose from. Each one is briefly explained below, with examples provided:
1. LIKERT SCALE: When you want to know respondents’ feelings or attitudes about something, consider asking a Likert-scale question. The respondents must indicate how closely their feelings match the question or statement on a rating scale. The number at one end of the scale represents least agreement, or ‘Strongly Disagree’, and the number at the other end of the scale represents most agreement, or ‘Strongly Agree’. If the scale includes other words at either end to further clarify the meaning of the numbers, it is known as a Likert-style question. An example of the Likert-scale question looks like this:
| ❓ | How important do you think standardized test scores are to a fifth-grader’s education (circle one number): |
| Not very important | Extremely important | |||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
2. MULTIPLE CHOICE: When you want respondents to pick the best answer or answers from among all the possible options, consider writing a multiple-choice question. Multiple-choice questions are easy to lay out on a written survey. Include specific directions about how many answers to select directly after the question. An example of the multiple choice question looks like this:
| ❓ | Why don’t you use the school’s cafeteria services? (circle one): |
| a. It’s too expensive. |
| b. Serving times conflict with my class schedule. |
| c. The location is inconvenient. |
| d. The food quality is poor. |
| e. Other (please explain): ____________________________________________________________ |
3. ORDINAL: When you need all possible answers to be rank ordered, ask an ordinal question. An example of the ordinal question looks like this:
| ❓ | Please write a number between 1 and 5 next to each item below. Put a 1 next to the item that is MOST important to you in selecting an on-line university course. Put a 5 next to the item that is LEAST important. Please use each number only ONCE. |
| ____ a. Availability of instructor for assistance. |
| ____ b. Tuition cost for the course. |
| ____ c. Ability to work in groups with other students. |
| ____ d. Quality and quantity of instructor feedback. |
| ____ e. Number of students enrolled. |
4. CATEGORICAL: When the possible answers for a question are categories, and each respondent must ‘belong’ in exactly one of them, ask a categorical question. An example of the categorical question looks like this:
❓ | Are you a ____ Student, a ____ Teacher, or an ____ Administrator (mark the right answer)
5. NUMERICAL: When the answer must be a real number, ask a numerical question. An example of the numerical question looks like this:
How old were you on your last birthday? ______________________________
STEP 5: Write the survey / questionnaire
Questions may be asked in a variety of formats, each of which has certain pros and cons.
A person may be asked to rate something according to a certain scale, to check off their response for the choices that are given to them, to answer simply yes or no, or to write in how they feel about a certain issue. Each of these formats generates different amounts of information.
Some methods are more powerful than others and will give you more complete, more accurate and more useful information than others.
Deciding what kind of questions to use is an essential part of the questionnaire design process.
Follow the checking for writing the survey / questionnaire:
- The survey answers a research question.
- Every survey should have a brief introduction.
- The survey is no longer than a page.
- You give brief instructions about how to answer the questions.
- You ask for the age and gender of each person you survey.
- Each question asks only for one piece of information.
- You don’t use double negatives.
- The language is clear and simple, not using jargon.
- You do not ask biased or leading questions.
- You can score the answers to the questions.
- The questions move from the easiest to the most difficult.
- You don’t make the list of choices too long.
- You check the spelling and grammar.
Just as there are many ways to ask a question, there are several ways to have a subject respond.
A person may be asked to either agree or disagree with a statement; or they may be required to respond using a scale of five or even ten points. Using a small scale normally gives limited results while using a scale that is too large can also be a problem, if the person taking the survey cannot distinguish between 10 or more degrees of difference.
STEP 6: Clean up and pre-test
Correct all errors from checklist above. Give the survey an interesting title. Space the questions so the survey looks attractive.
Pre-test your survey on at least 2 people (1 woman and 1 man) and ask them, if they understand each question. Attach comments to this sheet.
Design an answer sheet so the results can be scored.
STEP 7: Scoring and the turn-around time
How the survey will be scored and how long it will take to get the results (the turn-around time) can be important factors in your choice of a survey design and provider.
Today, most if not all surveys, are scored by computer. At the very least they should be analyzed by computer. This will give you the fastest turn-around time and the greatest degree of complexity and sophistication in data analysis. Large surveys probably ought to be scanned into computers.
In general, the faster the turn-around time, the better. Waiting several months to get the results may mean that conditions have changed in the interim
STEP 8: Prepare a score sheet
Once the survey has been designed, decide how to score it. Attach the score sheet to the survey.
STEP 9: Administer the survey / questionnaire
Choose a day and time that you will administer the survey. Where, when and how is going to be distributed. Will you mail it out, hand it out, administer it in person or interview people by telephone? How will you encourage people to complete the survey and how are they to send it back to you? What is an acceptable rate of responses?
Prepare an introduction and write it, then practice it. Give the survey or mail it, or phone, or whatever you decided to do to get the data. Enter the data. Analyze the data.
The survey results should answer the question
STEP 10: Write up the report
Follow the checklist for writing the final report from your market research:
- Who will read the report? A 500-page report with hundreds of tables and graphs can look impressive, but will be virtually useless, if no one reads it, understands it or knows how to use.
- What will the readers want to know? A good rule of thumb is to strive for simplicity, clarity and brevity.
- Will the findings be expressed better with a graph or two than an essay? Are both necessary? Would a poster and a presentation be the best way to report the results?
- What action should follow from the survey?
- Did anything go wrong? What would you do differently next time, if you were to do the survey again?
Please follow the following ten steps of a sample survey to write your own great research tools.
