Three "Must Ask" Respondent Screening Questions
In a recent conversation with a client, we discussed the advantages of capturing respondents' occupation, marital status/household composition, and household income, and how this information can be used beyond the obvious. Following is an excerpt of that conversation.
Q. Should my screening questionnaire capture respondents' occupations?
A. Yes, for several reasons: Knowing what respondents do for a living aids respondent recruiters in providing a good mix of occupations and industries. When used in combination with a basic security question, occupation questions help guard against respondents who are employed in sensitive occupations and industries.
What's more, capturing respondents' occupations (along with marital status and household composition) can help you determine whether a respondent's stated income "makes sense." For example, an unmarried clerical worker with a household income of $100,000 is worth a closer look.
Q. How should I capture respondents' occupations?
A. When asking respondents to provide details about their occupation, these three questions will ensure that your information is complete:
1. What is your specific job title?
2. What are your primary responsibilities in this capacity?
3. What does your company do?
Q. What do you mean by "household composition?"
A. Knowing respondents' marital status isn't always enough. It's also helpful to know how many people are in the household, and their relationship to the respondent. This information can then be used to corroborate respondents' household income.
Q. Can you offer an example of how to capture marital status and household composition?
A. Consider asking marital status this way: "What is your marital status? Are you..."
( ) Married
( ) Single, living with significant other or partner
( ) Single, living with a roommate(s)
( ) Single, living alone
( ) Single, living with parent(s)
Q. How do I corroborate respondents' household income?
A. The first step in making certain that a respondent's income seems sensible is to accurately capture their household income. Your screener must clearly define whose income should be used in determining a respondent's household income. Should the income of a spouse or significant other be included? Should household income include roommates' or other household members' incomes? The next step is to review each respondent's occupation (or lack of), household composition, and household income to make sure the answers "add up."
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