The Effect of Response Categories on Questionnaire Answers

Todd H. Rockwood, Roberta L. Sangster and Don A. Dillman
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Todd H. Rockwood: University of Minnesota
Roberta L. Sangster: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Don A. Dillman: Washington State University

Sociological Methods & Research, 1997, vol. 26, issue 1, 118-140

Abstract: This article reports the effect that the ranges presented in answer categories for survey questions can have on respondent answers. Response categories were manipulated in a split-ballot survey conducted in both telephone and mail modes. These categories, presented in the separate ballots, overlapped in one category; the other categories were unique to each ballot. The experiment was conducted on four questions: two frequent and mundane and two rare and salient. It was found that the response categories significantly affected the response for frequent and mundane questions. One question demonstrated a significant difference in response between the mail and telephone modes. For this question, a response scale with a limited number of socially desirable alternatives resulted in a social desirability effect in the telephone mode. Alternatively, the telephone mode demonstrated an extremeness effect when the response scale comprised a greater number of socially desirable alternatives.

Date: 1997
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:somere:v:26:y:1997:i:1:p:118-140

DOI: 10.1177/0049124197026001004

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