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Formatting Your Survey

Formatting Your Survey

What should a format look like?

For any questionnaire, whether small or big, the important things are:

a.Skip patternsb.Options & Codingc. Gridd. Interviewer checkpoints

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a. Skip patterns

• Sometimes, according to the response to a question, the next question does not need to be asked. This is where SKIP comes handy!

• Makes it easy for your Surveyor to administer the questionnaire.

• Makes it easy for data entry.• Should be

– consistent, easy to recognize; use or – same line as the answer to the response associated

with the skip

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a. Skip patterns

A4.3 Is this person away for work today (for at least two nights)? YES.................................... 1NO..................................... 2

A4.5

A4.4 How long was this person’s last trip away from the household for work?

DAYS……..……………… 1WEEKS…………………… 2MONTHS....……………… 3

A4.7 A4.7 A4.7

A4.5 How long ago did this person leave? DAYS……..……………… 1WEEKS…………………… 2MONTHS....……………… 3

A4.6 In how much time do you expect this person to return? DAYS……..……………… 1WEEKS…………………… 2MONTHS....……………… 3DO NOT KNOW...............…–999

A4.7 Where did they go on their last trip, or where are they right now? UDAIPUR CITY…………………...1UDAIPUR DISTRICT RURAL…..2OTHER RURAL IN RAJASTHAN.3OTHER URBAN IN RAJASTHAN.4OTHER URBAN………………….5OTHER RURAL…………………..6DO NOT KNOW...............…–999

b. Options & Coding

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•Options can be single or multiple. You need to indicate the same saying: "CIRCLE ALL THAT APPLY” if this is a multiple option question; else by not mentioning the above specifically, it is assumed to be a single option question.

•Coding is necessary to avoid writing too much text in the survey form and subsequent data entry and analysis is easier and clear cut; Include as many numeric codes possible for circling the options. It is more difficult to code later on.

•When coding your questions, make sure that all options are included.

– For example, if there is a chance, even small, that people will say “I don’t know”, do include the code “-999” in the question.

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b. Options and Coding

• For example: Single optionCLASS 1 1 IC.4

CLASS 2 2 IC.4

CLASS 3 3 IC.4

CLASS 4 4 IC.4

CLASS 5 5 IC.4

CLASS 6 6 IC.4

CLASS 7 7 IC.4

CLASS 8 8 IC.4

CLASS 9 9 IC.4

CLASS 10 10 IC.4

CLASS 11 11 IC.4

CLASS 12 12 IC.4

GRADUATE AND ABOVE 13 IC.4

OTHER DIPLOMA/CERTIFICATE 14 IC.4

NO EDUCATION 15 IC.4

DOES NOT KNOW 999 IC.4

F.5 What is the highest education level that you would like this child to complete?

b. Options and Coding

• Multiple options

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_____/_____ Month/yr Not attended any training

----------------------- (if Pratham, go to 59)

How do you use to teach the story in the curriculum textbook to the children?

Read aloud in big group – teacher 1

Read aloud in a big group – child 2(CIRCLE ALL THE ANSWERS THAT APPLY; DO NOT PROMPT)

Discussion on text children talking – teacher talking 3

Narrate the story in your own words 4

Record other response: 5

e.g. question-answers from book/ role plays __________

70.When was the last training you attended? Q.74

73.

71.What was the name of this training?

A4.10 In which seasons was this person gone for work in the last year?(CIRCLE ALL THAT APPLY)

WINTER……………………….1SUMMER………………………2MONSOON……………………3

• Coding

b. Options and Coding.. Things to Remember

• Use CMF’s standardized codes (DK, Refuse, etc.)• Close ended questions must have ALL options coded• Use Others [specify] to capture factors not coded• Use a separate code sheet where necessary – usually for industry codes

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c. Grids

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• For questions that have to be asked repeatedly for multiple members in a household or objects such as each stove/ classroom/multiple loans and savings etc.

• Either ask the same questions for multiple members at a time, filing it horizontally OR

• Ask all questions on the current sheet/full section relating to the first member id and when you reach the end of the chronology ask the same questions for the next member. The same skip pattern as discussed earlier applies here.

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c. GridsIn 2.4 the surveyor should check whether the person is a permanent member of the household according to the project criteria and only then proceed to answer the series of questions that should be asked

only to permanent members. You should not ask the question again to the respondent, so this is labeled as INTERVIEWER CHECKPOINT (just a

reminder for the interviewer):A2.2 What is this person's name? A2.2 Member id- 1 Member id- 2 Member id- 3 Member id-4 Member id-5

 (name) (name)  (name)  (name)  (name) 

A2.2a Yes 1 A2.3 A2.2a 1 A2.3 1 A2.3 1 A2.3 1 A2.3 1 A2.3

No 2 2 2 2 2 2

A2.2b Yes 1 A2.2b 1 1 1 1 1

No 2 A2.4 2 --->A2.4 2 --->A2.4 2 --->A2.4 2 --->A2.4 2 --->A2.4

A2.3 Yes 1 A2.4 A2.3 1 A2.4 1 A2.5 1 A2.5 1 A2.5 1 A2.5

No 2 2 2 2 2 2

A2.3a Married (for girls esp.) 1 A2.3a 1 1 1 1 1

Other reason (specify) -777 -777 -777 -777 -777 -777

A2.4 Yes 1 A2.4 1 1 1 1 1

No 2

A2.5 Is this person male or female? Male 1 A2.5 1 1 1 1 1

Female 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 Next person

RECORD NAME CAREFULLY

INTERVIEWER CHECKPOINT: Does this person 1) live in this house for at least 30 days in the past year and 2) when they are here, share food from common source with other members?

Next person 2 Next person

2 Next person

2 Next person

2 Next person

PAGE 1 PAGE 2

As per last survey, is this person a new member?

As per last survey, is this person a permanent member?

Currently, is this home this person's permanent home?Reason (if permanent in BL and now Not Surveyed/ Not Permanent): NS term used

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Grids can also look like this!

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

A1.3

Is this home this household member’s permanent home?YES.....................................

1NO......................................

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A1.4

Is this person male or female? 12

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A1.5

What is his/her relationship to the head of household?HEAD.................................

1SPOUSE/PARTNER..........

2SON/DAUGHTER.............

3SON/DAUGHTER-IN- LAW....4STEPSON/DAUGHTER... 5GRANDCHILD..................

6BROTHER/SISTER...........

7BROTHER/SISTER-IN- LAW..8FATHER/MOTHER...........

9FATHER /MOTHER-IN-LAW...10GRANDPARENT..............

11GREAT-GRANDCHILD...

12OTHER FAMILY SPECIFY....13HOUSEHOLD HELP.........14LODGER............................

15FRIEND..............................

16OTHER(SPECIFY)...............996

12345678910111213141516996

12345678910111213141516996

12345678910111213141516996

12345678910111213141516996

12345678910111213141516996

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Grids.. The right side

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d. Interviewer checkpoints

•These are instructions to the interviewers. SHOULD NOT ASK RESPONDENT. Mostly to verify information / clarifications, etc.

•Distinguish ICs by printing, making bold, underlining the instruction

•Eg. question was asked earlier and details follow in another section..

B5.17 INTERVIEWER CHECKPOINT: Does this household own any livestock?

YES……………………………….1NO…..............................................2

B5.22

B5.18 Do you do animal husbandry? YES……………………………….1NO…..............................................2

B5.19 What is the total value of the following animal products produced by your livestock in the last year:

1) milk2) meat (include livestock sold live for meat)3) other animal products (wool, hide, dung cake, eggs,

etc.)

A. For home consumption? B. For sale?

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• Rarely do you create a questionnaire from scratch• Using existing surveys addressing similar questions; tested in the

local context (some of these are available on the CMF website)– India

• Consumption – National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO)

• Health – National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and Reproductive and Child Health (RCH)

• Education – Annual Survey for Education Research (ASER)• Industry codes (National industry classification – NIC codes)• Poverty indicators – Cash-poor Housing Index

• Look-up existing survey formats– World Bank LSMS modules: country-specific. – Published datasets/ survey instruments

Where to start from: Resources at hand