QUESTIONNAIRE IN THE RESEARCH SYSTEM: THE CONCEPT OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE, ITS STRUCTURE AND TYPES

Abstract. This article discusses the relevance of collecting data through questionnaires at the present time, as the survey is a very popular method of collecting information, and the data obtained in the course of the survey can reduce the uncertainty that accompanies the adoption of various decisions.

Keywords: questionnaire, survey, data collection, types of questionnaires.

Currently, the most popular method of collecting primary data is the survey method. The survey is a very effective way of obtaining universal information of both objective (about the facts of people's life activity) and subjective nature (about the motives of activity, opinions, assessments and value orientations).

Questionnaire survey is one of the main types of survey, which implies a rigidly fixed order of questionnaire design. The questions in the questionnaire must be clearly formulated, understandable to the respondent, and contain a list of answer options. A questionnaire is a series of questions that the interviewee has to answer.

A questionnaire is a very flexible tool in the sense that questions can be used in a variety of forms, wording and sequences to obtain the information needed, that is, questions can be asked in a number of different ways. A good questionnaire should: facilitate the interviewee's response; formulate the question in a way that affects the interviewee's response; and allow for easy analysis. At the same time, the questionnaire should be tested and any weaknesses identified should be corrected.

The questionnaire has the following structure:

- Preamble - explains who is conducting the survey and why. The survey is conducted anonymously, unless otherwise specified in the plan.

There are no consequences for the respondent, both in the case of refusal and in the case of consent, also determined by how much time to fill out the questionnaire;

- Passport - (usually 5-6 questions). This includes questions such as gender, age, nationality, marital status, duration of marriage, children, education, occupation, main job position, family size, salary, monetary income per family member, and so on. The passport is placed either at the beginning or at the end of the questionnaire;

- The "fish" is the main part of the questionnaire, containing the questions for which the whole study was organized. You should start with simple closed questions that imply unambiguous answers that do not require much thought. The number of questions should be increased gradually, diluting the number of complex questions with simple, probing, and clarifying ones;

- Detector - consists of questions designed to test the attentiveness of the questionnaire, the seriousness and frankness of the respondents, as well as the decency and professionalism of the interviewers themselves. The questions can be repeated (mirrored).

At the second stage in the collection of primary data (information collected for the first time for a specific purpose) choose a research method. Let us dwell on the survey, since the questionnaire is one of the main tools of this method of marketing research.

Interviews can be oral or written. Oral and telephone surveys are usually called interviews. Interviews are divided:

. by the circle of interviewees (individuals, experts, entrepreneurs, etc.);

. by the number of interviewees at the same time (single or group interview);

. by the number of topics included in the survey (one or more (omnibus);

. by the level of standardization (free scheme or structured, fully standardized);

. by frequency of polling (one-time polling or multiple polling).

In a written survey, participants receive questionnaires that they must fill out and send back to their destination. In this case, predominantly closed questions are used, the answer to which is to choose one of the given options. The questions are subdivided as follows:

yes-no questions (sometimes a "don't know" or "neither yes nor no" answer is provided);

Alternative questions in which you have to choose from a number of possible answers one, sometimes several;

Different types of questions set different levels of scales that can be applied later to measure the magnitude of the trait under study.

When developing questions, you should base them on the need for information and the interviewees' ability to give a correct answer. If the researcher is only interested in agreement or disagreement, a yes/no question is sufficient. If it is necessary to make a conclusion about the opinions of the interviewees, it is necessary to use scaling questions.

Questionnaires may include, in addition to substantive questions, questions to help establish rapport with the interviewee and questions to control the correctness and authenticity of answers. Statistical questions about the interviewee's identity are also used.

Questionnaires have the following advantages: (high speed of obtaining information; strict regulation of the procedure allows for well-structured and comparable results; anonymity of respondents increases the objectivity and sincerity of the answers obtained; possibility to organize mass surveys and collect large amounts of data; relatively low labor intensity of procedures for preparing and conducting research, processing of results; no influence of the interviewer on the respondents' work; the researcher's attitude is not expressed in the survey. Therefore, it is necessary to combine questionnaires with other methods of primary data collection.

Thus, a questionnaire is a series of questions that the interviewee must answer. It is a key tool when conducting marketing research by an enterprise. Questionnaires are compiled in order to obtain answers to a wide variety of questions, which are structured and take a narrow focus depending on the research objectives.

In general, questionnaires are one means of collecting primary information that must be processed quickly, as it quickly settles and loses its value to the researcher.