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

176 ASKING QUESTIONS
that the events would occur and (2) their opinions of the desirability
or undesirability of the particular event. In order to secure these
ratings, the interviewer needed more than a single measuring device,
such as that shown in Figure 5.8. The device designed for this purpose
was a matrix that looked somewhat like a checkerboard.
Down the side of the matrix, on a scale from 10 to 0, was a measure
of the probability that the event would occur. Across the top
of the matrix was the positive or negative value the respondent
would place on the event if it did occur. In this way the investigator
was able to calculate the subjective expected utility of respondents
for a particular set of events, such as the labeling of genetically
altered foods or a peace treaty between North and South Korea.
Respondents were given a large foldout board with seventy-seven
pockets in a matrix form, as shown schematically in Figure 5.8. For
each event being rated, respondents placed a card with the name
of the event in the pocket that represented both the probability
that the event would occur (the rows) and the desirability of the
event (the columns).
Figure 5.8. Card Sorting in Two Dimensions.
Want Very Don’t Care Want Very
Much Not One Way or Much
to Happen Another to Happen
10 Certain or
Nearly Certain −3 −2 −1 0 + 1 +2 +3
9 −3 −2 −1 0 + 1 +2 +3
8 −3 −2 −1 0 + 1 +2 +3
7 −3 −2 −1 0 + 1 +2 +3
6 −3 −2 −1 0 + 1 +2 +3
5 As Likely as
Not Likely −3 −2 −1 0 + 1 +2 +3
4 −3 −2 −1 0 + 1 +2 +3
3 −3 −2 −1 0 + 1 +2 +3
2 −3 −2 −1 0 + 1 +2 +3
1 −3 −2 −1 0 + 1 +2 +3
0 Impossible or
Nearly Impossible −3 −2 −1 0 + 1 +2 +3
Source: National Opinion Research Center, 1963.