Question

What are the two main functions of the introduction to a survey questionnaire?

Question 59 options:

A. to encourage participation and establish informed consent

B. to establish the legitimacy of the survey and put respondents at ease

C. to inform the respondents of their rights and protect the researcher from lawsuits

D. to hide the true purpose of the survey and to establish rapport with respondents

Answer 1

A

Every survey must have an introduction that serves 2 basic and most important functions. The first one is to encourage participation. In some surveys this is not necessary, as many participants do not know that they are taking part in a survery, such as in cases of observation, or because they have already signed up to be a part of the survey. In other cases, the introduction should briefly state the purpose of the survey and thus convince participants to take part.

The second function is to establish informed consent. This involves giving all relevant information about the survey, such as the time required, the topic, the participants ability to withdraw at any time, etc. It should thus include all factors and information that may affect the participants willingness to participate.