Market Research: Group Assignment 1

Date: 10-12-2015
Submitted to:
Sir Basit Afzal

Submitted by:
MuahmmadWaqas (2153628)
Nasir Ali Khan (2153725)
Mansoor Ali Khan (2153724)
Abdullah Nasir (2153702)
Ali Saleem (2153661)

Questionnaire Guidelines (What Not To Do)

Questionnaire is a tool for conducting qualitative research and so many market researches that
are conducted with its help. There are however a few guidelines which need to be followed so as
the questionnaire are as effective to collect accurate responses from respondents as they are a
quick method for doing market research. Below are the Donts that must not be present in a
effective questionnaire.
1. DONT be vague
Try to avoid using vague quantifiers such as regularly, often and rarely as these words dont
give the same meaning to all respondents. Depending on the question asked, a respondent may
interpret regularly as once or twice a week, while it means five to six times a week to another
respondent.
2. DONT ask double-negative questions
Respondents can easily be confused deciphering the meaning of a question that uses two
negative words. For example, "Should the police chief not be directly responsible to the mayor?"
The question is ambiguous; almost any answer will be even more so.
3. DONT use many abbreviations, acronyms, or jargon
By using technical terms, abbreviations, acronyms, or jargon there is risk of lower response rates
if respondents are not familiar with those terms and acronyms. Therefore, avoid using them
unless you are absolutely sure that respondents know what they mean.
4. DONT ask objectionable or value-laden questions
When a question contains a value-laden term, respondents may answer emotionally, without
regard for the context in which the term is used. If you ask people's attitudes toward a specific
government social program and characterize it as "liberal" or "conservative," people are likely to
react to their feelings about "liberal" or "conservative" and not about the program itself.

5. DONT ask leading questions

A leading question suggests an answer. Consider this example: In order to improve the quality
of police, should police officers be paid higher salaries? This question presents a widely
accepted goal (improving the quality of police) accompanied by the assumption that the means
suggested (raising police officers salaries) will accomplish the goal and thus will influence the
respondent to answer "yes."
6. DONT ask open-ended questions unless necessary
It is tempting to ask open-ended questions; that is, instead of including a list of responses from
which respondents have to choose, the respondent is asked to explain his or her position.
However, try not to include many such questions, but limit to one or two. Including too many
such questions will seriously change the response rate. Answering open-ended questions requires
more time and thought than selecting answers from a pre-existing list of alternatives. With many
open-ended questions, more people decide that it is too much trouble to complete the survey. The
responses to open ended questions are also more difficult to analyze.
7. DONT ask double-barreled questions
A double-barreled question contains two or more distinct questions but allows only one answer
resulting in either a non-response or a response that is hard to interpret.
8. DONT ask hypothetical questions
People usually have problems in answering questions that relate to circumstances they have not
experienced. For example, asking people how they would feel about certain topics if they were
living in a different culture with different values and norms is difficult to answer.
9. DONT ask respondents to make unnecessary calculations
When respondents are asked to report percentages, some may actually perform precise
calculations while others just guess. Simple counts and numeric answers may be more easily
available to respondents and will avoid arithmetic errors.

Group Analysis of 7 Questions From Gallup Pakistan

Research Questionnaire

The study that we have used for our evaluation of questions used in Gallup Pakistans
questionnaire is titled world bank client satisfaction study 2013. The study was based on 200
clients based from Pakistan that were using the World Banks services along with 500
stakeholders who may or have been affected by World Bank activities in Pakistan.
Although this study was carried out according to international standards, we still believe due to
the technical nature and large number of sample respondents, the questionnaire used in this study
might have some elements of The Donts in a questionnaire mentioned above. Here are a few
questions that we find have these irregularities:

Question 14: Are you aware of the IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group?
Dont: Using many abbreviations, acronyms, or jargon
In the above question Gallup Pakistan is asking about a very specific department of the World
Bank and is providing limited detail about it which could confuse the respondent into answering
what the researcher want, therefore becoming a leading question as well.

Question 13: To what extend does the World Banks work help to achieve Pakistans
development results, on a ten point scale?
Dont: Asking objectionable or value-laden question
This question is using the idea of the World Bank helping Pakistan with its developing results,
making it a emotional response for respondents who might have attachment with Pakistan and
therefore hope for its development with the support of foreign help.

Question 18: How significant a role do you believe the World Bank SHOULD play in
Pakistans development in the future, on a ten point scale?
Dont: Asking objectionable or value-laden question
Just as the question discussed before this, the question is leading respondents (emphasizing with
all caps on the word SHOULD) into a certain emotional state that supports the World Banks
developing role in Pakistan for the future.

Question 12: Which of the following TWO reasons would you cite for the failure or slow
pace of the World Banks assisted reforms?
Dont: Asking double-barreled question
This question requires the respondents opinion, with the help of selecting two reasons out of
around 10, for the failure or slow pace of World Banks reforms. The dont here is asking to give
reasons for the failure of the reforms or the rate of speed (slow pace) by which the reforms are
provided. These are two different conditions as one deal with the reforms being not successful
whilst the other with the time taken. Selecting any two of the ten reasons will not be able to
answer both topics asked in the question.

Question 6: In terms of the World Banks stated objectives of reducing extreme poverty
and promoting shared prosperity, in which sectors do you believe the World Bank should
focus most of its attention and resources in Pakistan?
Dont: Asking a leading question
This question is a very good example of a leading question as it starts with stating the World
Banks objectives of reducing poverty and promoting prosperity, leading the respondents to
answer in a much favorable opinion as initial established.

Question 36: How familiar are you with the World Banks country partnership strategy for
Pakistan?
Dont: Using many abbreviations, acronyms, or jargon
As found in question 14 of the questionnaire, the researcher is asking a much technical term from
the respondents which could lead to a much misunderstood question or bias response as the
respondent might feel he\she must know the strategy asked in the question, for why else would
the question be asked to answered by them.

Question 38: Please rate the governments performance in terms of the country
partnership strategy for the last five years?
Dont: Asking objectionable or value-laden question
This question can also be seen as using the emotional response triggering words such as
governments performance, which to respondents with high levels of patriotism or tendency to
support\negate the current ruling government will give rise to bias responses leading to incorrect
data collected.