• Introducing Research Methods
    • Qualitative Methods
      • Ethnographic Research
        • Ethnographic Fieldwork
      • Interviews
      • Data Analysis
    • Quantitative Methods
      • Experiments
      • Surveys
        • The Double-Barreled Question
      • Statistics
    • Mixed Methods
  • Starting a Research Project
  • Research Ethics
  • Glossary

MMEO

Multidisciplinary Methods for Exploring Organizations

The Double-Barreled Question

Double-barreled question are among the most common problems encountered in questionnaires. Here is an example:

On a scale of 1 to 10 how much do you like ice cream and hot dogs?

If you think for a moment about what is wrong with this question, it becomes evident that it may not be possible to answer it. If, for example, I like hot dogs a lot but hate ice cream, how do I answer the question? Hot dogs might be a 10 and ice cream a 1. More subtle examples of this problem can be found routinely in questionnaires. If I ask, “does your company provide health insurance and a pension plan?” the answer may not be yes or no, because a company might provide one, but not the other.

Watch the video here from Brittani Libring to learn more about double-barreled questions and how to avoid including them in your surveys and questionnaires.

Copyright © 2023 · Cola Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in