Although there are no general rules for ordering survey questions, there are still a few suggestions researchers can follow when setting up a questionnaire.
- Pretesting can help determine if the ordering of questions is effective.
- Consider asking yourself the following questions:
- Which topics should start the survey off, and which should wait until the end of the survey?
- What kind of preparation do my respondents need for each question?
- Do the questions move logically from one to the next, and do the topics lead up to each other?
The following general guidelines for ordering survey questions can address these questions:
- Use warm-up questions. Easier questions will ease the respondent into the survey and will set the tone and the topic of the survey.
- Sensitive questions should not appear at the beginning of the survey. Try to put the responder at ease before addressing uncomfortable issues. You may also prepare the reader for these sensitive questions with some sort of written preface.
- Consider transition questions that make logical links.
- Try not to mix topics. Topics can easily be placed into "sets" of questions.
- Try not to put the most important questions last. Respondents may become bored or tired before they get to the end of the survey.
- Be careful with contingency questions ("If you answered yes to the previous question . . . etc.").
- If you are using a combination of open and close-ended questions, try not to start your survey with open-ended questions. Respondents will be more likely to answer the survey if they are allowed the ease of closed-questions first.
