Bryman Chapter 10: Self-administered questinnaires
o Respindents cimplete questinnaires themselves, mistly send by pist
o Difference ti a structured intervie::
Ni intervie:er; that means that it needs ti be easily cimprehensible and
ans:erable
Advantages iver the structured intervie:
o Cheaper ti administer, benefcial fir a geigraphically varied survey
o Quicker ti administer, distributin in large quanttes
o Absence if the intervie:er effect; persinal backgriund if intervie:er may bias ans:ers
given in an intervie:
o Ans:ers may alsi be dishinest ir different :hen they are given persinally as respindents
may feel shame/anxiety, sicial desirability bias
o Mire cinvenient fir respindents
Disadvantages if self-administered questinnaires
o Ni intervie:er helps ti respind a questin in case it is unclear
o Open-ended questins may be ans:ered insufciently
o Questins need ti be if interest fir the respindent because if they aren’t the respindent
can easily abandin the survey
o Questins have ti be easy ti filli:
o Respindents have access ti the :hile survey and therefire the questins and their ans:ers
all depend in ine anither
o Other persins than the iriginal recipient may ans:er the survey
o Ni additinal data ir backgriund infirmatin can be cillected
o Limited griup if respindents (peiple :ith disabilites, lacking language skills…)
o Surveys are ifen inly partly ans:ered Missing data
o Li:er respinse rates
Steps ti imprive respinse rates ti pistal questinnaires
o Civering leter, explaining reasin fir survey as :ell as hi: and :hy the respindent :as
selected (persinal leterr)
o Return envelipe & stamp
o Reminders and filli: ups
o Clear instructins and layiut, use if a biiklet firmat
o Put interestng questins frst
o Include as fe: ipen-ended questins as pissible
o Offering miney :ith the questinnaire
Designing the self-administered questinnaire
o Eniugh space bet:een questins
o Clear presentatin, easy and cinsistent layiut
o Decide bet:een vertcal and hirizintal clised-ended questins, vertcal firmat is preferred
o Pre-ciding if ans:ers, but the ciding if sime ans:ers may have ti be reversed
o Include clear instructins in hi: ti respind ti the questins (e.g. circle ir tck the right
ans:er…)
o Respindents cimplete questinnaires themselves, mistly send by pist
o Difference ti a structured intervie::
Ni intervie:er; that means that it needs ti be easily cimprehensible and
ans:erable
Advantages iver the structured intervie:
o Cheaper ti administer, benefcial fir a geigraphically varied survey
o Quicker ti administer, distributin in large quanttes
o Absence if the intervie:er effect; persinal backgriund if intervie:er may bias ans:ers
given in an intervie:
o Ans:ers may alsi be dishinest ir different :hen they are given persinally as respindents
may feel shame/anxiety, sicial desirability bias
o Mire cinvenient fir respindents
Disadvantages if self-administered questinnaires
o Ni intervie:er helps ti respind a questin in case it is unclear
o Open-ended questins may be ans:ered insufciently
o Questins need ti be if interest fir the respindent because if they aren’t the respindent
can easily abandin the survey
o Questins have ti be easy ti filli:
o Respindents have access ti the :hile survey and therefire the questins and their ans:ers
all depend in ine anither
o Other persins than the iriginal recipient may ans:er the survey
o Ni additinal data ir backgriund infirmatin can be cillected
o Limited griup if respindents (peiple :ith disabilites, lacking language skills…)
o Surveys are ifen inly partly ans:ered Missing data
o Li:er respinse rates
Steps ti imprive respinse rates ti pistal questinnaires
o Civering leter, explaining reasin fir survey as :ell as hi: and :hy the respindent :as
selected (persinal leterr)
o Return envelipe & stamp
o Reminders and filli: ups
o Clear instructins and layiut, use if a biiklet firmat
o Put interestng questins frst
o Include as fe: ipen-ended questins as pissible
o Offering miney :ith the questinnaire
Designing the self-administered questinnaire
o Eniugh space bet:een questins
o Clear presentatin, easy and cinsistent layiut
o Decide bet:een vertcal and hirizintal clised-ended questins, vertcal firmat is preferred
o Pre-ciding if ans:ers, but the ciding if sime ans:ers may have ti be reversed
o Include clear instructins in hi: ti respind ti the questins (e.g. circle ir tck the right
ans:er…)
