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5.6 Developing survey questions 121

When using my primary computer, I use the following input devices or methods
on a daily basis (select as many as apply)
____Keyboard

____ Mouse

____Touchpad

____Trackball

____Voice recognition

___Multitouch screen

___Eye-tracking
FIGURE 5.3
A closed-ended question with an unordered response (multiple selection).

With unordered, closed-ended questions, you can often ask respondents to se-
lect more than one choice. On paper, this is not a challenge. However, it is impor-
tant to note that if you are creating a web-based survey, different interface widgets
must be used. Option buttons only allow one choice, whereas checkboxes allow
for many choices. Figure 5.3 is an example of a question that allows multiple
responses.

5.6.3 COMMON PROBLEMS WITH SURVEY QUESTIONS
It is important to note that there are a number of common problems with survey ques-
tions. Researchers should carefully examine their questions to determine if any of
these problems are present in their survey questions (Babbie, 1990):

• A “double-barreled question” asks two separate, and possibly related questions
(e.g., “How long have you used the Word processing software and which
advanced features have you used?”). These questions need to be separated.
• The use of negative words in questions (e.g., “Do you agree that the e-mail
software is not easy to use?”) can cause confusion for the respondents.
• Biased wording in questions (such as starting a sentence with “Don't you agree
that …”) can lead to biased responses. If a question begins by identifying the
position of a well-respected person or organization (e.g., “Oprah Winfrey [or
David Beckham] takes the view that …”), this may also lead to a biased response.
• “Hot-button” words, such as “liberal,” “conservative,” “abortion,” and
“terrorism,” can lead to biased responses.