A report on the use of questionnaires as a survey method

A report on the use of questionnaires as a survey method
A questionnaire is a research method that uses a set of standardized questions handed out to your
target audience for research purposes (GILLHAM 2008). Just like other data collection
methods, questionnaires are used to determine the attitudes of respondents towards a product or
service in the market, their opinions on a new product or service and sometimes to ask for
recommendations. It is also a good way to investigate client satisfaction. In order to acquire this
information, it is important to choose a specific target audience to be your respondents.
We decided to use questionnaires as a data collection method as it was very cheap method to
access. Questionnaires are also advisable for larger target audiences (SAPSFORD 2006). This is
compared to other methods like interviews which will require more personnel as we would need
to deal with the target audience individually. It is important to try and reach a large target
audience because with questionnaires, you can never be too sure on who will answer therefore,
for maximum feedback one should try and capitalize on the very large group of respondents such
that if a considerable number fail to give you feedback, a sizeable group could still work.
We also decided to use questionnaires as people tend to be more truthful in answering since they
get time to think unlike a method like interviews or focused group discussions where they are
expected to answer almost immediately.
Using questionnaires was advantageous as the target audience was already familiar with the
process. For those who had not come across questionnaires before, the instructions were direct.
Information derived from the questionnaires was also easy to evaluate as the filled questionnaires
are present if the need of clarification arises. Easy analysis was also contributed by the

standardized system of questionnaires; meaning all the questionnaires had similar questions.
Questionnaires also gave us an edge in collecting sensitive information as they feel no pressure
or judgment because of its discreetness and individuality while answering.
Some respondents choosing to skip some questions on the questionnaire were one of the
disadvantages we encountered. In depth investigation into this led to the conclusion that most of
the questions being skipped were probably too personal meaning the respondents did not feel like
their information was guaranteed secrecy. There was also a wide similarity in answers which led
us to question the accuracy of questionnaires as a data collection method. We concluded that
most respondents gave answers not based on the truth but rather, it was based on what they
thought we wanted to hear (COX 2008).
Another major disadvantage was, if we had missed putting an important question in the
questionnaire, it would be hard for us to get back and put it hence incomplete information being
collected. For example, our first questionnaire missed two vital questions which were, ‘ Does the
choice of music at a restaurant affect you?’ and ‘What is your 'must have' in a Boutique
restaurant?’ These are important questions which had been left out in the initial survey. The
second question was very good in trying to gauge user needs and preference. It was hard to
add these two questions to the questionnaire as people tend to deter from answering too
many surveys. Questionnaires also tend to lack personal touch as there is no direct human
interaction while answering, just the respondents and the questionnaire.
The administration procedure as a success as we were able to come up with the information we
wanted. The respondents clearly understood the questions as they were straightforward and most
of them closed ended that required yes or no answers, ticking choices off and grading. However,

we failed to acquire consistent data on a question asking about the respondent’s gross annual
income as most of the respondents failed to answer that question despite the promise of
confidentiality. We administered the questionnaires and gave the respondents a maximum of one
day to submit their filled questionnaires but most of them submitted them approximately after
twenty minutes of receiving them.
For better quality of information derived from questionnaires, I would suggest the respondents
were told more about the purpose of the research. This includes why they are being questioned,
why they are the target audience and how the information they submit is going to be used. The
respondents should be assured of confidentiality whatsoever especially on sensitive topics that
would sometimes be embarrassing if linked to the respondents. Most respondents tend to walk
away from questionnaires that require identification or those that do not guarantee respondents’
confidentiality.
Questionnaires should also not contain very obvious questions as they tend to annoy respondents.
Similarly, very hard words should not be used together with very hard questions that may need
them to over think. Questionnaires should be as easy as possible since the respondents are doing
you a favor and them getting irritated and not filling the questionnaire would be a loss on us.
Most of the time, respondents come across a hard question and decide to stop since they do not
want to overthink. Questions paused should also not be trick questions – those that have answers
that seem obvious but the obvious answer is wrong.
Some changes that we would make on the questionnaires to improve information quality
includes creating shorter questionnaires. If the respondents feel burdened by too many questions,
they tend to stop answering since it is not an obligation keeping in mind it also gets boring.