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- Title
Examining the use of explicit 'no opinion' options in attitude survey design.
- Authors
Mattei, Michael D.; Hellebusch, Stephen J.; Mattei, Matthew D.
- Abstract
This paper investigates the impact of including or omitting an explicit "don't know (DK)/no opinion (NO)" option in survey questionnaires. Three consecutive annual surveys were conducted using identical questionnaires, with variations in the inclusion of the DK/NO option. The study compares responses from the 2019 survey, which lacked a DK/NO option, to responses from the 2020 and 2021 surveys, which included this option. Utilizing a 7-point Likert scale, respondents were asked to indicate their opinions, with options ranging from extreme disagreement to extreme agreement, with a neutral midpoint. Statistical analysis, employing Two Sample Z-tests Between Proportions, assessed differences in the proportion of neutral responses between the surveys. Findings reveal that the inclusion of the DK/NO option did not significantly alter the proportion of neutral responses compared to surveys without this option. These results challenge the prevailing notion that explicit DK/NO options improve data quality.
- Subjects
LIKERT scale; QUANTITATIVE research; DATA quality; STATISTICS; QUESTIONNAIRES
- Publication
International Journal of Market Research, 2025, Vol 67, Issue 1, p13
- ISSN
1470-7853
- Publication type
Academic Journal
- DOI
10.1177/14707853241269545