Begin by including a standard introduction at the top of the questionnaire for
enumerators to read to each interviewee prior to conducting the survey. Standard
introductions commonly include the objective(s) of the study and basic information
about your organization, a statement that any information collected will remain
anonymous and that participating in the survey does not guarantee participation in
any projects in the future.
Include a unique questionnaire identification code at the top of each questionnaire.
Develop a system for questionnaire identification based on location and any other
relevant information. Keep a record of the questionnaire codes by geographic area or
by specific type of household, for example. This information will be helpful during
data analysis. Also, include a place for enumerators to record their names.
o Number each question with a unique number so that you can refer to
questions by number during training. This will also help with data entry and
data analysis.
o Review the order of themes (e.g., agriculture, education and water) and the
order of questions within each theme. Cover each theme fully before moving
on to the next theme.
o Build in skipsto maintain the logical flow of the questions during each
interview. Skips ensure that respondents do not have to answer questions that
do not apply to them. For example, if a respondent answers ―no‖ to the
question, ―do you have access to a latrine?,‖ build in a skip so that this
respondent will not be asked the follow-up question, ―how many people are
currently using this latrine?‖ Refer to the example given below.
