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Contents

You can download the full How to design and use questionnaires how to guide [PDF 525KB]pdf logo or view it online.

1. Introduction

2. Defining the questions

3. Audience

4. Accessibility

5. Questionnaire types

         Postal

         Online

         Telephone

         Face-to-face

6. Combining survey techniques

7. Questionnaire format

           Question sequence and layout

           Answers to closed questions

           Question wording tips

8. Questionnaire presentation

9. Sampling

10. Selecting a sample

11. Piloting and revising

12. Increasing responses from self-completion surveys

13. Analysis

           Presentation

14. The 12-step survey process

Appendices

  1. Tips on conducting research projects
  2. Sample questionnaire

1. Introduction

Questionnaires are the workhorses of consultation.  They allow local people to tell the County Council their views in a structured and direct way. Most consultations will use some form of questionnaire – they can be as simple as one or two questions on a letter or a more in depth survey dealing with a range of issues including attitudes, behaviour, lifestyle, decisions, needs and wants.

The use of questionnaires in consultation is different to market research – in general responses in consultations will be attributable and feedback given.  Although in market research similar techniques are used, its objectives are inherently different.  Market researchers are under no obligation to survey everyone, to tell anyone what they are doing or why, or to provide any public feedback on their results.

However the techniques used by professional market researchers provide a firm basis for best practice when drawing up consultation questionnaires.

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