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

310 ASKING QUESTIONS
several supplementary forms during an interview to find the one
required. Multiple supplementary forms should be avoided, if at all
possible; if they cannot be avoided, color-coding these supplements
helps the interviewer find the right form.
Using Skip Instructions
We have already pointed out the major value of computer-assisted
interviewing to reduce skip errors, but here we discuss methods for
reducing skip errors if paper is used. There are two ways in which
interviewers (and respondents) can be instructed on questions that
are to be skipped: (1) by verbal instructions or (2) by arrows
that point to the next question. Both methods have been found satisfactory
by researchers who use them.
What is important for paper questionnaires is that the instruction
be placed immediately after the answer so that the interviewer
or respondent will not forget or miss the instruction. The most
common mistake is to put the skip instruction after the question but
before the answer. The skip instruction is much more likely to be
forgotten or ignored if it is in this position.
The other common error is to place the skip instruction only at
the beginning of a subsequent question when there are intervening
questions. An instruction such as “If respondent answered yes to
Q.6, ask Q.10; otherwise skip to Q.11,” requires the interviewer or
respondent to look back and locate the answer to Q.6. This backward
flow should be avoided because it is likely to cause errors. A
useful precaution is to put the skip instruction after the response to
the filter question and to put the appropriate response categories
before the follow-up questions. Although not strictly necessary, this
double procedure confirms that the skip instruction has been followed
properly.
Skip instructions should always be worded positively, not negatively.
An error is less likely to be made if interviewers are told to
skip when an answer is given, rather than when an answer is not
given. One place, however, where skip instructions should be