How many items are too many? An analysis of respondent disengagement when completing questionnaires
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Authors
Steyn, Renier
Issue Date
2017
Type
Article
Language
en
Keywords
Questionnaires , tourism , items , measurement
Alternative Title
Abstract
Researchers are often confronted with the dilemma of how many items to include in a questionnaire. On the one hand the researcher requires accurate and comprehensive information but, on the other, textbooks alert us to the danger of respondent fatigue and respondents disengaging as a result of completing lengthy questionnaires. This paper aims to empirically address the question of how many items a questionnaire can contain before additional items can be considered to be superfluous, as well as the question of at what stage fatigue and disengagement set in. The responses of 3 180 individuals to a questionnaire of 153 items were analysed, focusing on the number of missing cases as well as on
zero-variance and flat response patterns. The results reveal that neither the number of missing values, nor zero-variance or flat response patterns, are a function of the number of items (already) completed. The results further reveal that the response pattern of respondents, on a battery of 153 items, can be attributed to the types of items included in the questionnaire rather than to the number of items completed. Recommendations are presented on strategies to design questionnaires that include a low number of items, but still fulfil the requirements of reliability and validity.
Description
Citation
Steyn, Renier. (2017) ' How many items are too many? An analysis of respondent disengagement when completing questionnaires', African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 6(2): article 41
Publisher
African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure
License
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
2223-814X