Questions to Be Avoided In a Questionnaire

Take care to avoid following type of questions when preparing a questionnaire:

1. Embarrassing Questions

Questions that ask respondents details about their personal and private matters are embarrassing questions. Such types of questions are better to be avoided as you risk losing trust of your respondents. Your respondents might also feel uncomfortable to answer such questions and might refuse to answer your questionnaire altogether.

2. Positive/ Negative Connotation Questions

Since most verbs, adjectives and nouns in the English language have either a positive or negative connotations, questions are bound to be taken as either positive or negative. While defining a question, strong negative or positive overtones must be avoided. You will get different data depending on the positive or negative connotation of your question. Ideal questions should have neutral or subtle overtones.

3. Hypothetical Questions

Hypothetical questions are based on speculation and fantasy. An example of a hypothetical question would be "If you were the CEO of an ABC organization what would be the changes that you would bring?" Questions such as these, force respondents to give their ideas on a particular subject, and generally the data collected through such questions are inconsistent and unclear. Hypothetical questions should be avoided in questionnaires.