Examples of problematic questions

Double barreled Do you think professors should have more contact with university staff
and university administrators?
If the word “and” Do you favor higher salaries for school administrators and do you think
appears, cannot taxes should be increased for this purpose?
disentangle which Do you agree that we should lower property taxes and provide more
county services?
Do you approve or disapprove of abortion in cases of incest or threats to
the mother’s health?
Do you think children and women should be given the first available flu
shots?
What is the latest and most convenient internet service for you?
What is the language you first learned in childhood and still understand?
Do you plan to leave your car at home and take the bus to work during the
coming year?
Does your company provide training for new employee and retraining for
existing staff?
Did you experience sore throat and fever during your cough and cold?
Is this tip interesting and useful to you?
Do your company have pension and health insurance benefits?
Do you dine out regularly because it is as cheap as eating at home? (Better
to ask “Do you dine out regularly? Why and why not?”

Leading questions How much will prices go up next year?

– one that forces or Do you get on well with your boss?
implies a certain How fast was the red car going when it smashed into the blue car?
type of answer. It Assume that the red car was at fault.
is easy to make Which do you like better, peas, okra or beans?
this mistake not in You like spaghetti squash, don’t you?
the question, but in We are considering changing from location A to location B this year.
the choice of Would you be willing to walk starting from location B?
answers. A close A less blatant example would be a Yes/No question that asked: Is this the
format question best CAD interface you have ever used? The negative response covers too
must supply wide a range of opinions. A better way would be:
answers that not Totally agree
only cover the Partially agree
whole range of Neither agree or disagree
responses but that Partially disagree
are also equally Totally disagree
distributed
throughout the Don’t you agree that social workers should earn more money than they
range. All answers currently earn?
should be equally Yes, they should earn more
likely No, they should not earn more
DK

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 A more neutral wording would be:
Social worker salaries are a little lower than they should be
Social worker salaries are a little higher than they should be
Social worker salaries are about right

Are you saying I am unfair?

Would you prefer this car in red or blue (presume that you will buy the
car)
Would you vote for John Smith, a man who has been known to break
campaign promises?
What should be done about murderous terrorists who threaten the freedom
of good citizens and the safety of our children?
Most doctors say that cigarette smoke causes lung diseases for those near
a smoker. Do you agree?
You don’t smoke, do you?
I assume that you would agree that the teachers do a heroic job for our
children.
In order to improve the quality of education in Malaysia, should teachers
be paid higher salaries?
You were at Duffy’s bar on the night of July 15, weren’t you? Should be
Where were you on the night of July 15?

Loading questions Many doctors recommend exercise as a way of maintaining good health.
Do you agree?
Do you think the president is doing a good job of handling foreign policy?
Please rate how the president handles foreign policy.
Are you still beating your wife?
Do your parents know that you’re homosexual?
Do you enjoy cooking dinner for everyone else?
Have you stopped beating your wife? (presuppose that you have beaten
your wife and that you have a wife. If you are unmarried or have never
beaten your wife, then this question is loaded)
Do you support cutting the defense budget in order to reduce the federal
deficit? Better to ask: Some people support cutting the defense in order to
reduce the federal deficit. Other people believe defense spending is
important, and suggest reducing the federal deficit by reducing wasteful
spending. What do you think? Avoid loaded questions by presenting both
sides of the issue.
Do you believe that our keen knowledge of what is important to the
market allows us to respond better to customers’ needs than our
competitor?
In your opinion, should Sunday shopping be allowed in Ontario: that is,
should stores that want to stay open on Sunday be allowed to stay open on
Sundays, if they want to?
Should the mayor spend even more money trying to keep the streets in top
shape?

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Ambiguous Usually equivocal, indefinite, uncertain, or capable of being understood in
questions more than one way. May involve irrelevant or immaterial information.
Instead of asking how frequently, ask how many times
Which country won the world cup? What cup?
Do you regularly use our product?
What is your income?
Do you jog regularly?
How often do you visit the doctor for cough and cold?
Do you think children require strict discipline?
Do you think that men and women are equal in everything?
Do you think juvenile delinquents should be dealt with firmly?

Negative questions Didn’t you hear the bell? I rang it four times.
We won’t see Ann tonight.
Isn’t she coming to the party tonight?
Doesn’t that house look beautiful?
Please tell me whether or not you agree or disagree with this statement.
Graduate teaching assistants should not be required to help students
outside of class.
Were you not shown the rights (without contractions)
Weren’t you shown the rights (with contractions)
Teachers should not be required to supervise students during recess
(agree, disagree)
Students should not be required to take a comprehensive exam to graduate
Do you agree that John is the weakest player in the team?

Sensitive questions Can you tell me the number in this card which corresponds to your
Income – can be income group?
alleviated by the Income, drug or alcohol consumption, sexual habits
use of show card Did you vote in the last election?
Are you still a virgin?
How many of your children have died?
Have you have any abortion before?
Better to ask: There are many reasons why people don’t get a chance to
vote. Sometimes they have an emergency, or are ill, or simply can’t get to
the polls. Thinking about the last election, do you happen to remember if
you voted?
How many times have you married?
Are you a homosexual?
Have you ever copied other students’ answers in a degree exam?

Socially desirable Don’t you think that suffering terminal cancer patients should be allowed
questions to be released from their pain?
How often you brush your teeth?
How many cigarettes do you smoke a day?

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 Do you masturbate? If Yes, how often?
Are you unable to work because of disability?
I have never been late for an appointment in my life.
I always tell the truth no matter what the cost.

Double negative Which of these pictures is not unattractive? Better to ask: Which of these
questions pictures is attractive?
It is not a good idea to not turn in homework on time.