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Posted by Herb Sorensen on April 16, 2000 at 22:19:53:
In Reply to: Response Order posted by Scott C. on April 14, 2000 at 12:31:20:
Actually, all kinds of questions are skewed in market research to magnify the positive responses. I have suspected for a very long time that this is a consequence of marketers wanting to hear people say nice things about their products. Besides the yes/no you mention, I'll give you two more:
Rating scales, but especially the "standard" 9 point hedonic scale (9=like extremely; 1=dislike extremely; 5-neither). These scales almost invariably result in answers clustered in the upper half (positive) of the scale. For the 9 point hedonic, this more or less converts it into a 5 pt scale since the bottom four points are so little used. There are two things you can do to increase the sensitivity: flip the scale or unbalance it, for example with six positives and three negatives. Both are reasonable approaches, but be forewarned that if you try either, you may face some apoplectic colleagues or clients. Very few researchers or clients deal with these scales as statistical devices. Instead, they pretend the words associated with the scale have some absolute, indisputable meaning. I don't recommend tinkering unless you are doing the research for yourself, or someone who will trust you without challenge.
Likes/Dislikes. It is customary to ask "What did you like about . . .?" before asking "What did you dislike about . . .?" However, if you reverse the order you will get a lot more meaningful data. Respondents are typically lazy, and likes are easy to palm off bland generalities (even with probing). After providing input on this open end, it is easy for both the respondent and interviewer to skimp on the next one. In reality, the dislikes are more likely to have actionable features for clients. Hence, I like to ask them first, get a lot more of them, and focus on what you can do something about. If it's pats on the back you're seeking, there are cheaper ways to get them. And besides, you're a lot more likely to get away with asking this negative first.
Hope this helps.
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