Research Methods in Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management

5.4 Designing workable questionnaires

5.4.1 Question types: closed and open questions

Broadly speaking, all questions are either closed (structured) or open (free-response)

that you can use.

Closed questions

A closed question is one in which the respondent is offered a choice of replies.

He/she may be asked to tick a box in a self-completion questionnaire, or the answers

may be read out to him/her or shown on a prompt card. Questions of this kind may

offer simple alternatives such as yes or no, a simple list or something more complex.

For example:

1. Have you visited this site before?  Yes  No

2. How did you travel to this site?

Car  Service bus  Coach

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Walk  Bicycle  Other

3. If it is proven that bracken at recreation sites affects human health, with which

of these statements would you agree most?

A programme of bracken removal/control should be implemented.

People should be made aware of the health risks, but the bracken should

not be removed.

I do not think there is anything to worry about.

Other types of questions that are essentially closed include ranking and rating scales.

Below are some examples:

1. Look at the following card and rank the reasons why you decided to visit this

attraction:

(Interviewer to assist respondent with ranking as necessary)

Near to accommodation/home

Cheaper than other local attractions

More choice of rides

Easy parking

Less walking

2. Look at this card and use the scale provided to answer the following question (a

score of 5 indicates you believe it to be of great importance and a score of 1 that

you believe it to have no importance): When you decided to stay at this resort,

how important was the cost?

Great importance

4

3

2

No importance

3. Indicate which of the following applies to you:

When deciding on a holiday, the type of accommodation is the most

important consideration:

Strongly agree

Agree

Uncertain

Disagree

Strongly disagree

4. Indicate which of the following applies to you:

How satisfied are you with the helpfulness of staff at this hotel?

Very satisfied

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

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Reference to the literature will show that there is much debate on the length of the

various scoring systems and whether to have an odd or even number of categories.

Note here that I have not included a ‘don’t know’ category. In the next section, this is

discussed more fully.

Thus, closed questions can be attitudinal as well as factual. In the last example, if left

to their own thoughts, some respondents may have come up with their own

proposals. Here, the list of alternatives has been derived after careful piloting to

ensure that the categories do cover the majority of opinion.

Advantages of closed questions:

1. Easier and quicker to answer.

2. No writing.

3. Quantification and coding easier.

4. More questions possible in terms of time/money available.

Disadvantages of closed questions:

1. Loss of spontaneity and expressiveness (will never know what the respondent

would have said if left to their own devices).

2. Bias, in forcing a particular set of answers that might not have occurred to the

respondent.

3. Closed questions are often simpler and less subtle as no probing is possible.

4. Loss of rapport with interviewer – some respondents may become irritated

because they feel that their real opinions are not represented in the set of

alternatives.

5. It is easier for the respondent to cheat.