Asking Questions - The Definitive Guide To Questionnaire Design ...

ASKING THREATENING QUESTIONS ABOUT BEHAVIOR 111
names, or what? Since I have several questions on each account,
let’s take each one in turn. First, in whose name is this account?
Where is it?” (Ferber, 1966, p. 331). Note that this question also
provides memory cues to the respondent.
3. Use an authority to justify behavior. Respondents may react
more favorably to a statement if it is attributed to someone they like
or respect. An example might be the following introduction to a
question about drinking liquor: “Many doctors now believe that
moderate drinking of liquor helps to reduce the likelihood of heart
attacks or strokes. Have you drunk any liquor in the past year?” It is
probably better to use group designations such as doctors or scientists
or researchers and not the names of particular persons, since
some respondents will not know of the person or may not consider
the person an expert.
Note that these suggestions to load the question toward reporting
socially undesirable behavior would have the undesirable effect
of increasing overreporting if the behavior were either socially
desirable or nonthreatening. Similarly, the following suggestion for
reducing overreporting of socially desirable behavior should not be
used with socially undesirable topics.
4. Provide reasons why not. If respondents are given good reasons
for not doing socially desirable things such as voting or wearing
seat belts, they should be less likely to overreport such behavior.
These reasons may be in the form of questions or statements. Thus,
on a seat belt usage question the introduction might be “Many
drivers report that wearing seat belts is uncomfortable and makes it
difficult to reach switches, such as lights and windshield wipers.
Thinking about the last time you got into a car, did you use a seat
belt?” Another way to ask the question is as follows: “Do you ever
find wearing a seat belt uncomfortable? Do you ever have trouble
reaching switches such as lights and windshield wipers when wearing
a seat belt? Thinking about the last time you got into a car, did
you use a seat belt?”