Take a vague question. Rewrite it three times, each sharper than the last. The data quality jumps every time.
'Don't you agree our cafeteria food is terrible?' — what's the main flaw?
Sharpen 'Do you watch a lot of TV?' in three steps.
Step 1: 'Do you watch TV daily, weekly, monthly, or never?' Step 2: 'How many hours did you watch yesterday?' Step 3: add a fixed list of ranges (0-1, 1-2, 2-4, 4+). Concrete + countable = clean data.
Question smells to fix
- Leading — 'Don't you agree…'
- Double-barrelled — asks two things at once.
- Vague — 'a lot', 'often', 'sometimes'.
- Loaded — assumes something ('How often do you skip homework?').
What's wrong with 'Do you like the new logo and the new website?'
'Do you watch a lot of TV?'
Better: 'Do you watch TV daily, weekly, monthly, or never?' Even better: 'How many hours did you watch yesterday?' Concrete + countable = clean data.
Avoid leading questions. 'Don't you agree that…' tilts the answer before the person speaks.