Questionnaire

Definition

A questionnaire is a list of questions designed to elicit specific information on particular research topics. The purpose of a questionnaire is to expose all respondents to the same questions and compare their answers based on consistent standards. Anthropologists create questionnaires based on broader ethnographic understandings of particular communities or cultures under study.

Advantage

This method has the following advantages compared to other interview methods, such as semi-structured interviews and focus groups.

Larger samples

Questionnaires enable researchers to collect data from a large sample in a short time and at relatively low cost. For example, if researchers want to know what charity services are available in a particular region, they may identify applicable organizations and send them questionnaires. This method quickly covers a large number of organizations.

Less subjectivity

Questionnaires are effective in cross-cultural research because the questions serve as consistent stimuli to respondents wherever the research is conducted. When a researcher conducts interviews, his or her attitudes, viewpoints, and appearance may influence interviewees’ responses. On the other hand, questionnaires are reliable in comparing different responses from different research sites because they rarely reflect researchers’ personal traits. 

Less intimidating

Questionnaires may have people answer sensitive questions because it does not require face-to-face conversations. Therefore, questionnaires are useful for studying socially undesirable behaviors and traits.

Disadvantage

Here are some disadvantages of questionnaires:

Misinterpretations

Questionnaires have no control over how people interpret questions. When respondents do not understand questions as researchers intended, their answers can be inaccurate. In order to minimize this disadvantage, researchers need to become familiar with people and community under study.

Low-rate responses

In order to draw general conclusions, researchers need high response rates for their questionnaires. If few respondents return questionnaires, anthropologists need to find an alternative method.

Sources:

• Angrosino, Michael V. 2002 Doing Cultural Anthropology: Projects for Ethnographic Data Collection. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press.




• Bernard, Russell H. 2002 Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press.

This page was created by a Minnesota State University, Mankato student. Last updated 11/14/04.