Data acquisition: closed questionnaire response format

Interviewer and coder bias is removed because the interviewer is simply checking a box, circling a category, entering a number, or pressing a key. Reading answer alternatives can jog a person’s memory and provide a more realistic answer. Also, because the option to speak on a topic is not given to a respondent, there is no bias towards the articulated one. Finally, the data acquisition and encoding process is greatly simplified.

There is a difference between a precoded open question and a closed question. An open question allows the respondent to answer in a free format. The interviewer simply checks the points on the pre-recorded answers as they are given. Polling is used, but a list is never read. If an answer is given that is not pre-recorded, it is written word for word in the ‘other’ column. By contrast, the closed question requires alternatives to be read or shown to the respondent.

Traditionally, the data acquisition process has separated the two-item response choice from the many-item response type. A two-choice question is called dichotomous and the many-item type is often called multiple-choice or multichotomous. With the dichotomous closed question, the response categories are sometimes implied. For example, how would you answer the following question: “Did you buy gas for your car in the last week?” Obviously, the implicit options are “Yes” or “No”, regardless of whether a respondent might say, “I rented a car last week and they filled it up. Does that count?” the questions would still be classified as closed dichotomous.

The simplest form of data acquisition is a closed question or a dichotomous choice. They are easy to administer and generally elicit a quick response. For example, limit responses to a simple “Yes” or “No,” “Agree” or “Disagree,” or “Greater than” or “Less than.” Many times a neutral or “no opinion/don’t know” option is added to dichotomous questions to address these situations. Sometimes the interviewer will score “DK” for “Don’t know” or “NR” for “No answer” if the neutral option of the data acquisition questionnaire is omitted.

Dichotomous questions are prone to a large number of measurement errors. Because the alternatives are polarized, the wide range of possible options between the poles is omitted. Therefore, the wording of the questions is very important to get accurate answers. Questions phrased in the positive form may well result in answers opposite to those phrased in the negative format. For questions that require a “Greater than” or “Less than” answer, the answer may vary. These problems can be overcome by using a split packet technique. Half of the questionnaires are written with greater than the first and the other half with less than the first. This procedure will help reduce potential bias.

Each type of closed question has unique drawbacks. For the dichotomous data acquisition form, responses often fail to communicate the intensity of the respondent’s feelings. In some cases, the question of intensity does not apply, as in the example above about buying gasoline, but instances arise where the respondent has a very strong opinion on an issue, but the intensity is lost in the form of dichotomous data acquisition. The multiple-choice closed question has two additional disadvantages. First, the researcher must spend time compiling the list of possible answers, second, the range of possible answers. If the list is too long, respondents may become confused or disinterested.