lssu~ Possible solutions
Content of • Cover specific areas identified as important (Staff, Efficiency and
questionnaire procedures, Contact, Information, Support, Aftercare)
• Include blank space for ‘Anyother comments’ to enable respondents to report on issues or expenences not covered elsewhere
• Different section areas should be inter-relating and worktogetherto address thetopic area as a whole
Questions • Use a range of questions types, with minimal use of open questions
• Start with easy questions and progress to more difficult ones
• Pilot pre-specified response options for closed questions withpotential
respondents to ensure they are appropriate lnc~udean ‘Other, please specify’ option to capture responses that do notfitinto given
categones
• Keep questions (and response options) short and focussed • Avoid jargon and patronising terms
• Include Interesting questions to sustain respondents’ attention through to completion
Appearance and • Short questionnaire, that is easy and attractive looking
layout • Adequate space foranswers, andbetween questions
• Clearinstructions
Accommodating • Appropnate language levels
people who have • Clearand simplequestions
difficulty reading • i.argepnnt; clearlayout
• Electronic version
• Brailie version (It is possible to reproduce braille on plasticwith
‘bumps’ which the braille user pushes down to indicate their answers These can be read by a sighted person analysing the responses.) Anonymity • Explain procedures for protecting anonymity and confidentiality
• Could maintainanonymityyet still otterfollowup torespondents by using a combination of an unnamedquestionnaire and an identifiable
________________ postcard to be returned separately
Engaging a Highlight the ‘interest factor in a covenng letter appealing to concerns
respondent’s to improve theACCeSS to Work service
attention • Develop a questionnaire with an interesting title andattractive layout,
_________________ possibly including graphic illustrations
Maximising • Personalised, covering letter
response rates • Anonymity
• Provision of pre-paid addressed return envelopes
• Questionnaire that looks quick, easy and interesting to complete
— • Promiseof feedback
Timing of • Six weeks tothreemonths after support is put in place
questionnaire • Possibly earlier or later in the process as well, but a senes of
questionnairestailoredto specific stages in the process might be
Arksey, H and Knight, P. (1998) Inteiviewing for Social Scientists An Introductory
Resource with Examples, London. Sage Publications.
Baker, M , Thornton, P., Vernon, A and Winyard, S. (2000) The Costs of Blindness,
London RNIB
Barnes, H., Thornton, P. and Maynard Campbell, S. (1998) Disabled People and
Employment: A Review of Research and Development Work, Bristol: The Policy
Press in association with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Beinart, S. (1997a) The Access to Work Programme: FurtherAnalysis of Data from
the 1995 Surveys of Access to Work Recipients and their Employers, LOndon’ Social
and Community Planning Research (SCPR).
Beinart, S (1 997b) A Survey of PACT Clients and Services (1996), London: Social and Community Planning Research (SCPR).
Beinart, S., Smith, P. and Sproston, K (1996) The Access to Work Programme. A
Survey of Recipients, Employers, Employment Service Managers and Staff, London:
Social arid Community Planning Research (SCPR).
Bourque, L.B. and Fielder, E.P. (1995) How to Conduct Self-Administered and Mail
Surveys, London: Sage Publications.
Craig, R. (1995) Contributions Agency Customer Satisfaction Survey 1994, DSS Research Report No 37, London HMSO.
Dengler, A. (1996) ‘Organisation and management ofpostal surveys’, Survey
Methods Centre Newsletter, Socialand Community Planning Research Survey
Methods Centre, 16, 1, 14-16.
Elam, 0. and Ritchie, J. (1997) Exploring Customer Satisfaction: Customer
Satisfaction with Benefits Agency Local Offices, DSS Research Report No 63,
London- The Stationery Office.
Fink, A (1995) How to Ask Survey Questions, London. Sage Publications. Glickman, M. (1996) ‘Disability and the cost-minimising imperative’, REHAB
Network, Autumn, 15-19.
Hague, P. and Jackson, P. (1996) Market Research: A Guide to Planning,
Methodology and Evaluation, London: Kogan Page.
Hillage, J., Williams, M. and Pollard, E (1998) Evaluation of Access to Work: Final
Report, Brighton: Institute for Employment Studies (IES).
106 Users’V)ews of Accessto Woñ~
Hughes, R (1999) ‘Why do people agree to participate in social research’,
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 1, 4, 315-24.
Hutton, S., Carlisle, J. and Corden, A. (1998) Customer Views on Service Delivery in
the Child Support Agency, DSS Research Report No 74, London. The Stationery
Office.
Krosnick, J. (2000) ‘The threat of satisficing in surveys: the shortcuts respondents take in answering questions’, Survey Methods Newsletter, National Centre for Social
Research, 20, 1, 4-8.
Legard, A. Thomas, A. with Keegan, J. and Duldig, W. (1995) Access to Work: A Preliminary Review, Report prepared for the Employment Service, London: Social and Community Planning Research (SCPR).
Lynn, P. (1996) ‘Quality arid error in self-completion surveys’, Survey Methods
Centre Newsletter, Social and Community Planning Research Survey Methods
Centre, 16, 1, 4-9.
McColl, E., Jacoby, A., Thomas, L, Soutter, J., Bamford, C., Garratt, A., Harvey, E., Thomas, A., and Bond, J. (1998) ‘Designing and Using Patient and
Staff
Questionnaires’, pp 46-58 in N. Black, J. Brazier, A. Fitzpatiick and B. Reeves (eds)
Health Services Research Methods: A Guide to Best Practice, London: BMJ Books.
MORI (1998a) 1997 National Customer Survey: Qualitative Report for the
Employment Service, London: MORI.
MORI (1
998b)
1997 National Customer Survey. Report for the Employment Service,London: MORI.
Moser, C.A. and Kalton, G. (1971) Survey Methods in Social Investigation, 2nd edition, Aldershot: Gower.
Nocon, A. (1997) ‘Satisfaction surveys: a note of caution’, Community Care
Management & Planning, 5,1,32-34.
Nocon, A. and Qureshi, H. (1996) Outcomes of Community Care for Users and
Carets: A Social Services Perspective, Buckingham. Open University Press.
Oppenheim, A.N. (1992) Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude
Measurement, London: Pinter Publishers.
Public Attitude Surveys (not dated) Employment Service 1992 National Customer
Satisfaction Survey, High Wycombe: Public Attitude Surveys.
RADAR (2000) Mind the Gap: Disability, Opportunity and Employment, London: RADAR.
RNIB/RADAR (1995) Access to Equality: An Analysis of the Effectiveness of the
Roulstone, A. (1998) Enabling Technology. Disabled People, Work and New
Technology, Buckingham; Open University Press
Simkiss, P, Garner, S and Dryden, G. (1998) What Next’~The Experience of
Transition Visually Impaired Students, their Education and Preparation for
Employment, London. RNIB
Thornton, P. and Vernon, A (1998) The Financial Costs of being Visually Impaired, Report Prepared for RNIB, Working Paper 1568, Social Policy Research Unit,
Universityof York.
Tricker, M. and Green, J (2000) ‘Designing surveys’, pp 94-115 in M. Luck, A. Pocock and M Tricker (eds) Market Research in Health and Social Care, London: Routledge
Turtle, J. and Woolley, J (1996) Resettlement Agency Customer Satisfaction Survey
1994, DSS Research Report No 44, London HMSO.
Williams, T., Astin, M. and Ditch, J. (1995) First Time Customers: A Study of the
Claiming Expenences of First-Time Customers of the Benefits Agency, DSS