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

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272 ASKING QUESTIONS<br />

employed. Question 3 is insufficient because many jobs may have<br />

the same title. For example, respondents who say they are engineers<br />

may (1) design bridges or airplanes or computers, (2) operate a railroad<br />

locomotive, (3) tend an engine in a nuclear power plant, or<br />

(4) maintain a school building. Similarly, respondents who say they<br />

are road construction workers could be foremen if they supervise a<br />

road gang, machine operators if they operate a bulldozer, or laborers<br />

if they use a pick and shovel.<br />

Even asking these four questions may be insufficient if the<br />

answers given are vague. Interviewers will need to be trained to ask<br />

follow-up probes. For instance, if factory workers say they operate a<br />

machine, ask “What kind of machine do you operate?” Nurses<br />

would be asked whether they are registered nurses or practical<br />

nurses. Teachers would be asked “At what level do you teach?” to<br />

distinguish between college and elementary school teachers.<br />

<strong>Asking</strong> About Mobility<br />

Sometimes it is necessary to know how long someone has lived in<br />

the same location. One useful way to ask this is as follows:<br />

1. Did you live in this house or apartment five years ago?<br />

(Do not ask for children under five years old.)<br />

Yes No (Ask Q.2.)<br />

2. Where did you live five years ago?<br />

<strong>The</strong> detail used in coding Question 2 depends on what level of<br />

detail is required for your research. For many purposes, it may be sufficient<br />

to code as different country, different state in the United<br />

States, and different address in the same state.<br />

<strong>Asking</strong> About Income<br />

Income questions continue to be the most difficult demographic<br />

question to ask. Some people overreport their income because of a

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