Bad questionnaire and errors in poll questionaires

On this occasion we are going to make some considerations on how to identify a poorly constructed an opinion poll questionnaire.
Without prentender that this list is exhaustive, will point out some ways to identify errors in questions or parts of a questionnaire.



  • The questions used language or sociological categories that produce that respondents answered that they believe is expected to respond or misinterpret questions.

  • The respondent believes that must be identify - for example in a closed with options question - what is the correct answer. Not involved in the sense of expressing their views by an error in the way of asking and sometimes in the mode of lead pollster. He believes that it is like a game that has to guess the correct answer option.

  • Questions closed with options options are not mutually exclusive, either not exhausted all possibilities for response. So the alternatives are mutually independent and do not leave any aspect sociologically relevant is convenient to pilot test these questions (or the questionnaire). Occurs when a survey or a question has many instances for people that are not decided by any of the suggested alternatives, opting not to respond, point out missing some option or make verbalizaciones as "it depends" or "the question is poorly worded", or the "don't know" which isn't really a does not know. Sometimes reviewers and pollsters are right on wrong questions.

  • The answers are elusive and notoriously false. It happens on sensitive issues, to find the right way to ask and have questions in the questionnaire. Also by the misuse of certain words in the question that lead to the above-mentioned responses by respondents.

  • There is an overwhelming majority of favourable response or adverse responses.

  • Redundancy: wasted resources asking something they already know.

These are some ways to identify mistakes in the questions of the questionnaires of opinion polls from the responses obtained after the field work.

Surveys on products from the market

Within the implementation of the opinion polls to marketing and market research prominently occupy surveys on products.
A survey of product, as part of a plan of marketing of a company or a more general market study, usually only one cog in the processes of research and decision-making process of a company, but they can - of course - be analysed separately.
We will mention some common survey carrying out market research on products sold.



  • Pilot surveys on new products. Here, there are innumerable variants, some of which are true social experiments, and which can be combined with the display, tasting, etc. of products as well as quantitative studies.

  • Surveys on the concept of a service, product: meaning, social representations to generate conscious and unconscious associations.

  • Brand-product surveys: new marcas-producto, variations in branding or analysis of changes in the perception of the consumer of a brand-product.

  • Surveys on acceptability of products: new products, variations on the same product.

  • Surveys on packaging: the presentation changes, changes in content, slogans, in the amount of product. They can be of acceptability or preliminary investigation of changes in packaging, or changes in course.

  • Survey on marks independently of products and his names. Surveys about products or services: marks internet, naming, slogans, social representations of consumers and customers linked to the product.

  • Surveys on sales and distribution: on the structure of the sale of the product, on points of sale, how to sell it.

These are some typical ways in which surveys public - not, but customers, users or consumers of products - can be used in research of market or marketing products.

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