The precise wording of questions plays a vital role in determining the answers given by respondents. This fact is not appreciated as fully as it should be, even in ordinary conversation. For example, a colleague mentioned that he needed to pick out granite for a kitchen countertop. The only day he could make the trip was the Saturday before Labor Day. Although he called on Friday to make certain the store was open, he arrived at the store on Saturday only to find a sign on the door that said "Closed Labor Day Weekend." When asked if he remembered what question he had asked the clerk at the store, he said, "I asked him what hours he was open on Saturday, and he replied 'Nine to five.'"
This story illustrates the basic challenge for those who engage in the business of asking questions. It illustrates not only the importance of the golden rule for asking questions-Ask what you want to know, not something else-but also, more important, the ambiguiti ... read full excerpt from Asking Questions: The Definitive Guide to Questionnaire Design -- For Market Research, Political Polls, and Social and Health Questionnaires, Revised ebook
