Need to know the distinction between a questionnaire vs survey? Read on and discover.
There is a significant difference between a questionnaire and a survey. A survey is defined as the evaluation of experiences or opinions of a group of people via questions as opposed to a questionnaire which is defined as a collection of written or printed questions with an answer choice made to conduct a survey.
Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a set of questions typically used for research purposes which can be both qualitative as well as quantitative in nature. A questionnaire may or may not be delivered in the form of a survey, but a survey always consists of questionnaire.
A questionnaire used in qualitative research asks open ended questions via email, telephone or face-to-face meetings. A questionnaire used in quantitative research asks more closed ended questions with restricted options to answer.
There are two types of questionnaire:
– Questionnaires that evaluate variables that is separate, including questions regarding an individual’s behavior, facts and preferences.
– Questionnaires that measure factors incorporated into a scale like those about individual identities and different attributes, index and traits.
Surveys
A survey is a sophisticated quantitative research method comprised of questionnaire with the intention of efficient gathering of data from a set of respondents. A survey mainly consists of closed ended questions with very few open ended questions for free form answers.
Modern online surveys are used for data oriented business, scientific and academic research studies. As the above image describes – Questionnaire is an integral part of a survey. But there may not be the intention of a survey vs questionnaire.
The respondent can explain the answer in a descriptive style in case of open-ended questions or a responded can be asked to choose a response or an answer from a pre-defined set of options in case of close-ended questions.
It’s vital to remember that you decimate, distribute or use questionnaire but you don’t conduct a questionnaire. The list of questions in a survey is called questionnaire. So the questionnaire is a tool to conduct a survey.
Flexibility, costs, coverage, willingness to take part, and the exactness of the reactions/responses can impact the method for directing surveys.
Surveys are the customary method for completing research in which the respondents are addressed with respect to awareness, demographics, motivations, behavior.
In the end, surveys and questionnaires have more in common than different, one being part of the other, with the only distinction being in how they are presented to a respondent.
Other highlights about Questionnaire Vs Survey
- Questionnaires are set up in such a way in order to not aggravate the respondent.
- When a survey is a interview and not a questionnaire, it can be in-depth and open ended.
- A questionnaire require not create precise or legitimate responses from the respondent.
- When the survey is in the form of an interview it is very much possible to get honest, true and detailed responses.
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