RESEARCH METHODS
QUESTIONNAIRES
Main method for gathering data in social surveys. Standardised questions are written in advance for self-completion
by the respondent. If the questions are read out by the interviewer then it becomes a structured interview.
Strengths Weaknesses
Can reach larger and therefore more representative Low response rates – people can’t be bothered.
samples. Response rates of less than 50% undermine the
Postal questionnaires can be geographically validity of the research.
dispersed. Difficult to motivate people to return postal
Less time-consuming than other methods. questionnaires.
Cheaper Interpretivists argue that they are low in validity – life
Guaranteed anonymity – useful for sensitive is too complex to categorise into closed questions.
questions. Respondents may interpret the question in a different
Minimum contact with respondent – no direct way.
influence on results. Social desirability – people may lie/misrepresent
Positivist sociologists argued they are scientific themselves.
because they are high in reliability. ‘Imposition problem’ – interpretivists argue that tick-
Produce lots of statistical data which can be box questions measure what the sociologist thinks is
analysed. important rather than what the person completing the
questionnaire experiences.
Respondents may be forced to tick boxes that only
approximate their views/experiences.
Questionnaire design
There are a variety of question types. The most common are ‘closed’ questions and ‘open’ questions.
Closed questions are tick-box questions. They produce quantitative/statistical data.
Open questions are open-ended. The respondent can write down their experiences. They produce qualitative data
expressed in the respondent’s own words. They contain feelings, attitudes and experiences.
Most researchers use a combination – these are semi-structured questionnaires. There are variations on this type:
1. Self-report – lists a number of items and asks respondents to tick those that they have experienced.
2. Attitudinal questionnaires – asks respondents on a scale of 1-5 whether they subscribe to a particular point of
view.
Questionnaires should be as short as possible.
Questions should be asked in a straightforward and simple manner so they can be clearly understood.
Questions should be neutral and objective.
Questionnaires can suffer from poor question design:
Questions can be biased.
Questions can contain technical vocabulary that respondents may not understand.
It is important to ensure that all respondents share the same understanding of questions. Vague words e.g.
‘few’ or ‘several’ may mean different things to different people.
QUESTIONNAIRES
Main method for gathering data in social surveys. Standardised questions are written in advance for self-completion
by the respondent. If the questions are read out by the interviewer then it becomes a structured interview.
Strengths Weaknesses
Can reach larger and therefore more representative Low response rates – people can’t be bothered.
samples. Response rates of less than 50% undermine the
Postal questionnaires can be geographically validity of the research.
dispersed. Difficult to motivate people to return postal
Less time-consuming than other methods. questionnaires.
Cheaper Interpretivists argue that they are low in validity – life
Guaranteed anonymity – useful for sensitive is too complex to categorise into closed questions.
questions. Respondents may interpret the question in a different
Minimum contact with respondent – no direct way.
influence on results. Social desirability – people may lie/misrepresent
Positivist sociologists argued they are scientific themselves.
because they are high in reliability. ‘Imposition problem’ – interpretivists argue that tick-
Produce lots of statistical data which can be box questions measure what the sociologist thinks is
analysed. important rather than what the person completing the
questionnaire experiences.
Respondents may be forced to tick boxes that only
approximate their views/experiences.
Questionnaire design
There are a variety of question types. The most common are ‘closed’ questions and ‘open’ questions.
Closed questions are tick-box questions. They produce quantitative/statistical data.
Open questions are open-ended. The respondent can write down their experiences. They produce qualitative data
expressed in the respondent’s own words. They contain feelings, attitudes and experiences.
Most researchers use a combination – these are semi-structured questionnaires. There are variations on this type:
1. Self-report – lists a number of items and asks respondents to tick those that they have experienced.
2. Attitudinal questionnaires – asks respondents on a scale of 1-5 whether they subscribe to a particular point of
view.
Questionnaires should be as short as possible.
Questions should be asked in a straightforward and simple manner so they can be clearly understood.
Questions should be neutral and objective.
Questionnaires can suffer from poor question design:
Questions can be biased.
Questions can contain technical vocabulary that respondents may not understand.
It is important to ensure that all respondents share the same understanding of questions. Vague words e.g.
‘few’ or ‘several’ may mean different things to different people.
