Revisiting "yes/no" versus "check all that apply": Results from a mixed modes experiment

Authors

  • Gerry Nicolaas Ipsos MORI
  • Pamela Campanelli The Survey Coach
  • Steven Hope University College London
  • Annette Jäckle University of Essex
  • Peter Lynn University of Essex

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18148/srm/2015.v9i3.6151

Keywords:

survey methods, mode of data collection, questionnaire design, check all that apply, forced choice

Abstract

The work of Smyth, Dillman, Christian, and Stern (2006) and Smyth, Christian, and Dillman (2008) compares “yes/no” questions to “check all that apply” questions. They conclude that the “yes/no” format is preferable as it reflects deeper processing of survey questions. Smyth et al. (2008) found that the “yes/no” format performed similarly across telephone and web modes. In this paper we replicate their research and extend it by including a comparison with face-to-face in addition to telephone and web and by using probability samples of the general adult population. A cognitive interviewing follow-up was used to explore the quantitative findings. Our results suggest there are times when the “yes/no” format may not perform similarly across modes and that there may be factors which limit the quality of answers.

Author Biographies

Gerry Nicolaas, Ipsos MORI

Head of Data Collection Methodology, Research Methods Centre, Social Research Institute, Ipsos MORI

Pamela Campanelli, The Survey Coach

Independent Survey Methods Trainer and Consultant, The Survey Coach

Steven Hope, University College London

Senior Research Associate, Institute of Child Health, University College London

Annette Jäckle, University of Essex

Senior Research Fellow and Associate Director of Innovations for Understanding Society, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex

Peter Lynn, University of Essex

Professor of Survey Methodology, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex

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Published

2015-12-04

How to Cite

Nicolaas, G., Campanelli, P., Hope, S., Jäckle, A., & Lynn, P. (2015). Revisiting "yes/no" versus "check all that apply": Results from a mixed modes experiment. Survey Research Methods, 9(3), 189–204. https://doi.org/10.18148/srm/2015.v9i3.6151

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