Research into questionnaire design: a summary of the literature

Some consider responding to survey questions as a sophisticated cognitive process whereby respondents go through, often iterative, steps to process the information provided to them by questions and response options.

Research into questionnaire design: a summary of the literature

Petra Lietz

Australian Council for Educational Research

Introduction

Cognitive research into survey methodology starts from the premise that responding to survey questions involves many, frequently iterative, steps of complex information processing (Cannell et al. 1981; Hippler et al. 1987; Tourangeau et al.2000; Aday, 2006). The process begins with the comprehension of the question and proceeds to the retrieval of relevant information from memory. Next, it involves a judgement and estimation process that is related to the respondent’s motivation and preparedness to be truthful. Ultimately, the...

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