3.Questionnaire

3.3 Overcoming Unwillingness to Answer

Overcoming Unwillingness to Answer

Most respondents are unwilling to:

• devote a lot of effort to provide information
• respond to questions that they consider to be inappropriate for the given context
• divulge information they do not see as serving a legitimate purpose
• disclose sensitive information

 

Overcoming Unwillingness to Answer

1. Reduce effort

Minimize the effort required of respondents

• Example:
  Please list all the departments from which you purchased merchandise on your most recent shopping to a department store.
• Ask instead:
  In the list that follows, please check all the departments from which you purchased merchandise on your most recent shopping to a department store.

☐ Women’s dresses

☐ Men’s apparel

☐ Children’s apparel

☐ Cosmetics

…….

☐ Jewelry

☐ Other (please specify) _________________

2. Provide context

Some questions may seem appropriate in certain contexts but not in others

• Example:
  Questions about personal hygiene habits may be appropriate when asked in a survey sponsored by the Medical Association, but not in one sponsored by a fast-food restaurant.
• Provide context by making a statement:
  “As a fast-food restaurant, we are very concerned about providing a clean and hygienic environment for our customers. Therefore, we would like to ask you some questions related to personal hygiene.”

3. Legitimate purpose

Explain why the data is needed

• Example:
  Why should a firm marketing cereals want to know the respondents’ age, income, and occupation?
• Legitimate the information request:
  “To determine how the consumption of cereals vary among people of different ages, incomes, and occupation, we need information
• on …”

To the beginning of the section