Chapter 15: Survey

Question 1

What are the two types of questions that can be asked in a survey?

Answer 1

• Open-ended

* Closed-ended

Question 2

Explain open-ended questions. Pros and cons

Answer 2

• People respond on their own terms vs. specific options
• Maximize freedom of response
• May be useful in initial stages of research (background
research)
• May be difficult (e.g., how analyze results?) and time- consuming

Question 3

Explain closed-ended questions. Pros and cons

Answer 3

• Responses already coded (data entry and analyses)
• Relevant options given, but these may also be limiting (e.g., a respondent does not agree with the choices)
• Need “don’t know” or “other” category

Question 4

What are the types of closed-ended questions?

Answer 4

• Multiple Choice (one choice allowed)
• Multiple Choice (multiple responses allowed)
• Ranking Scale (1-10)
• Forced Choice (option A or B)
• Likert Scale (Strong Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly Disagree)

Question 5

Why is wording the questions in a survey important?

Answer 5

• Leading questions can bias
• Loaded questions can bias
• Double-barrel questions
• Double negative questions can confuse

Question 6

Give an example to a leading question situation

Answer 6

• Do you support or oppose the university’s proposal to
raise tuition by $100/yr to modernize Mac Campus?
• Vs. “Do you support the university’s reasonable proposal…” or “Do you oppose the university’s unfair…”

Question 7

Give an example to a loaded question

Answer 7

• “Do you support or oppose the … to ban vendors from serving foods that contain dangerous, heart-damaging trans fats”

Question 8

Give an example to a double-barrel question

Answer 8

• “Do you agree or disagree that alcohol use and marijuana use are a problem among today’s college students?”

Question 9

Give an example to a double-negative question

Answer 9

• “do you agree or disagree that once people reach adulthood that it is not possible for them to change their undesirable dietary choices”

Question 10

Face-to-face interviews (vs. mail, online, etc)

Provide pros and cons to face-to-face interviews

Answer 10

• Achieve higher response rates
• Can establish personal rapport
• Interviewer can provide clarity
• Interviewer can gauge verbal/facial cues
• BUT, they are costly (trained interviewers, transportation, etc.), interviewer bias may exist (may not be conscious), and interviewer characteristics (e.g., age, sex, ethnicity) may bias respondent

Question 11

What are biomarkers? Why are they useful in research?

Answer 11

• “biological specimen that is an indicator of nutritional status with respect to intake or metabolism of dietary constituents.” (from ref on previous slide)

They can:
• validate dietary survey instruments
• Be a surrogate of dietary intake
• Integrate nutritional status for an element

Question 12

Give examples to biomarkers

Answer 12

• Protein intake à urinary nitrogen
• Selenium intake à urinary selenium
• Vitamin D à serum 25(OH)D
• DHA/EPA à DHA/EPA in fatty acids