Learning and Evaluation/Archive/Learning modules/3Use caution when asking personal questions

  Wikimedia Training Designing Effective Questions Menu

Use caution when asking personal questions

Objective	To learn the income level of participants.
Very Poor	How much do you earn each year? $___________________ Individuals are typically hesitant to report the details of very personal information, like income.
Poor	About how much income do you earn each year? Below $10,000 $10,000-19,999 $20,000-29,999 $30,000-39,000 etc... This question continues to be poor because the question is not worded in a specific manner and assumes that respondents have earn the same income each year.
Better	In which of the following categories does your last year’s annual income best fit? Below $10,000 $10,000-19,999 $20,000-29,999 $30,000-39,000 etc... This question is more sensitive to the variability of the question target (i.e., income), taking into account that income changes from year to year and last year's income is likely the most accurate representation of their current income.