Research Tips

Questionnaire Response Categories

Many people already know that the precise way a question is worded can influence how individuals interpret it and whether all respondents interpret it the same way, but did you know that just as much consideration should go into the selection of the response categories used as into the development of the question itself? It’s common to see questionnaires in which response categories are not mutually exclusive or collectively exhaustive. This can be confusing or frustrating for respondents. One study also showed that even when categories are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive, the range of response categories provided can have a significant influence on the proportion of people choosing a particular response. [Reference]