Development of Mixed Visual-mode Survey Methodology: Evaluating Effects of Questionnaire Layout

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26380643
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology
• Research Institution: Saitama University
• Principal Investigator: MATSUDA Eiji 埼玉大学, 社会調査研究センター, 准教授 (90649964)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 調査法研究 / 複合調査 / 郵送調査 / レイアウト / 選択肢配置 / 初頭効果 / 中間選択肢 / 表形式

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The main objective of our research is to construct a methodology of mixed visual-mode surveys using postal mail and Internet. First, we investigated the effect of questionnaire layout through postal mail surveys. Primacy effects often occur for both single-answer and multi-answer questions. A two-column layout for answer options results in a smaller primacy effect than a single-column layout. Long sentence options tend to be chosen rather than short sentences because they draw the eye. A neutral option located in the center of all possible options tends to be chosen by many respondents, but a neutral option set last tends to be ignored. If “Don’t know/No answer” is added in the sixth position of a five-point-scale, some respondents do not choose the neutral option, tending instead to choose options closer to “Don’t know/No answer.” Respondents answer by recognizing the center point of a visual scale, rather than the neutral meaning among all possible options.

Free Research Field

社会調査