Two types of survey questions are open questions and closed questions. An open q

Question

Two types of survey questions are open questions and closed questions. An open question allows for any kind of? response; a closed question allows for only a fixed response. An open question and a closed question with its possible choices are given below. List the advantages and disadvantages of each question.

Open? question: What can be done to get students to eat healthier? foods?

Closed? question: How would you get students to eat healthier? foods?

1. Mandatory nutrition course

2. Offer only healthy foods in the cafeteria and remove unhealthy foods

3. Offer more healthy foods in the cafeteria and raise the prices on unhealthy foods

Explanation / Answer

Type of Question

Advantage

Disadvantage

Open Question

Closed Question

Open Question: What can be done to get students to eat healtheir foods?

answer: Offer only healthy foods in the cafeteria and remove unhealthy foods

Closed? question: How would you get students to eat healthier? foods?

Answer: (1) Mandatory nutrition course

(2) Offer more healthy foods in the cafeteria and raise the prices on unhealthy foods

Type of Question

Advantage

Disadvantage

Open Question

• Permits an unlimited range of answers
• Reveals how the respondents think about the question
• Responses can be used to expand on and clarify closed responses

• Takes more time and effort to respond to the questions
• Literal responses can be difficult for respondents not familiar with expressing own views and opinions
• Answers may differ in level of details or scope
• Limited control over length of response
• Analysis relies on coding and that may be difficult, costly, and time consuming

Closed Question

• Easy and quick to answer
• Response choice can clarify the question text for the respondent
• Improves consistency of responses
• Easy to compare with other respondents or questionnaires
• Easier, quick, and less costly to analyze

• May not have the exact answer the respondent wants to give
• Can put ideas into respondents’ minds
• Respondents may select answers most similar to true response, even though it is different
• Many options may confuse the respondent
• Respondents with no opinion may answer anyway
• Does not give information about whether or not the respondent actually understood the question being asked

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