The best way to destroy the accuracy of your survey results is to ask the wrong questions. So, if you want accurate survey results, you need to know how to spot them and not use them. Or, if you’re taking a survey, you are required to learn how to avoid being tricked into giving an answer that might differ from what you think. Let’s discuss what a double-barreled question is.
Here is where a double-barreled question hits hard. It’s one of the worst survey questions that people often ask. Survey makers are often powerfully told not to use questions with complicated syntax, unclear words, bad answer choices, and –most notably, “double barrels.”
But before we understand why it’s terrible for your surveys and how to avoid it, let’s quickly define a double-barreled question.
What is a Double-Barreled Question?
A double-barreled question is also called a compound question or a double-ended question. The question asks two different things but only has one answer. It can happen accidentally or because someone is careless or didn’t check their work. It occurred because the people who did the survey wanted to keep it short, so they made questions with two parts.
When you ask a question that touches on two different topics but leaves little room for each person’s opinion, there is a chance that it will be misunderstood. A double-sided question sneaks into the survey, making it harder to get accurate results.
Most of the time, a question with two parts will start with “and.” It’s not the most obvious rule since it can also be used in regular questions.
Let’s look at some examples of double-barreled questions.
Why You Should Stay Away from Double-Barreled Questions
Double-barreled questions can lead to wrong information, which can cause organizations to make decisions based on incorrect assumptions.
So, to get accurate results, you should ask straightforward questions. Remembering this, the best thing to do is follow a logical path and give simple answer choices.
Also, please carefully review your survey questions before sending them to your sample. In that case, you can ensure reliable results, get quality data, and find ways to improve your products, services, and brand. It’s as simple as that.
Here are a few reasons why you should avoid double-barreled questions:
- Ambiguity: Double-barreled questions often need more clarity, as they address two separate issues simultaneously. This can make it difficult for the respondent to understand which part of the question they should manage.
- Limited Response Options: Respondents may need help to answer both parts of a double-barreled question adequately. This limitation can lead to incomplete or inaccurate responses.
- Bias and Assumption: Double-barreled survey questions can unintentionally convey the biases or assumptions of the person asking the question. This can influence respondents and lead to skewed or unreliable data.
- Difficulty in Analysis: When analyzing responses to double-barreled questions, it becomes challenging to attribute specific answers to each question component. The double-barreled question makes it harder to draw meaningful conclusions from the data.
- Interviewer Error: In verbal communication, interviewers may unknowingly emphasize one part of the question, influencing the respondent’s answer. This introduces a source of error in the data collection process.
It’s recommended to break down a double direct question into two separate questions and precise inquiries to improve the survey or interview design. This allows for more accurate and insightful responses, leading to better data collection and analysis.
Effects & Implications of Double-Barreled Questions
Double-barreled or compound questions contain more than one distinct query but allow for only one answer. They can have various effects and implications, often leading to confusion and inaccurate responses. Here are some of the impact and implications of double-barreled questions:
- Confusion: Respondents may need help adequately addressing both parts of the question. They might require help deciding which aspect to focus on or how to prioritize their response.
- Biased Responses: Double-barreled questions can inadvertently introduce bias, as they assume a connection between the two components. This can lead to skewed responses that do not accurately reflect the respondent’s true opinions or experiences.
- Inaccurate Data: The resulting data may need to be corrected or completed because respondents may feel compelled to provide an answer even if they can only address one part of the question.
- Misinterpretation: Respondents might interpret the question differently, providing answers that align with one part of the question while neglecting the other. This can lead to misinterpretation of survey responses or interview results.
- Survey Fatigue: Double-barreled questions can contribute to survey fatigue, as survey respondents may become frustrated or overwhelmed by the complexity of the questions. This can lead to decreased survey participation or lower-quality responses.
- Difficulty in Analysis: Analyzing the data from double-barreled questions can be challenging, as it may need to be clarified which part of the question influenced the respondent’s answer. Disentangling the responses to understand each component separately can be time-consuming and prone to errors.
- Reduced Validity: Double-barreled questions may compromise the validity of research findings. If respondents can provide accurate and meaningful answers, the study’s overall validity may be maintained.
Examples of a Double-Barreled Question
The double-barreled questions examples below are about research.
Example 1: Is this tool exciting and helpful?
There are two parts to this question. Even though being exciting and helpful are good, they are different. Some people who use the tool might find it interesting, but it needs to be more beneficial. But for others, it might be helpful but not interesting. So, it has two barrels.
But what answer should they give? And, even more important, how can the survey person make sense of these answers?
It’s preferable to ask each of these questions individually.
- Is the tool interesting?
- Does the tool help?
Example 2: How often do you visit the dentist, and how long does each visit take?
This question also has two barrels. When people answer these questions, they will need clarification about how to reply to these two questions in one.
So, the pattern should be like this:
- How frequently do you go to the dentist?
- How long does a trip to the dentist take?
How to avoid it
Avoiding double-barreled questions is the most common survey question errors, but it’s easy. The steps are as follows:
Examine your questions carefully
It seems like a no-brainer, but read all your questions carefully and look for places where you’re asking more than one thing.
If a question has two or more parts, but the respondent can only give one answer, you should rethink it or split it into two or more questions.
If you can, have someone who wasn’t involved in writing the questions look over your survey to see if they can answer questions honestly and finish it without getting confused.
Test your survey first
Send your survey to a few people first to make sure it makes sense based on your questions. Then, send it to the rest of your sample. You should review your questions if you doubt what the respondent said.
Other Kinds of Questions to Avoid
There has been a discussion of double-barreled questions. Some questions are inappropriate for use in surveys. They are there:
Leading Questions
Another area for improvement with surveys is asking leading questions. They assume that the users agree with them and force them to answer, even if they don’t.
For example, How long have you been driving a car?
Since this question assumes that the respondent has a car, a response from someone who owns a bike or some other type of vehicle might not give the correct survey data.
Using conditional logic is the best way to answer leading questions. When you use conditional logic, questions will be filtered based on how the user responds.
Ambiguous Questions
Questions that are too general and not specific enough are called ambiguous questions. Ambiguous questions slow down respondents because they need to figure out what the question means, and can also affect how accurate the answers are.
Make sure your survey questions are clear and specific, and avoid asking questions that might cause users to get confused.
Confusing Questions
Questions that need to be asked better can be hard to understand. You want your users to be clear about the question, so use clear, correct language to get your point across. If users need clarification, they’ll likely quit the survey in the middle.
LEARN ABOUT: This or that questions
Conclusion
Quality survey questions must be written to make it easy for respondents to understand the topic. We hope this blog has helped you figure out what a double-barreled question is. Now that you know what a double-barreled question is and how to avoid it, use these tips to do an excellent survey for your website.
QuestionPro can help you identify survey goals, develop and design a survey to fulfill those goals and analyze data for better decision-making.
At QuestionPro, we give researchers tools for gathering data, like our survey software and a library of insights for long-term studies. If you want a demo or more information, go to the Insight Hub.
