The How-To Guide for Developing Survey Questionnaires

Wednesday, February 28, 2024 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

In this one-day workshop, drawing on Dr. Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme’s 10 years of experience running national and international surveys, we will review the key steps in developing high-quality survey questions and questionnaires along with tips for achieving precise, relevant, and accessible measures when collecting survey data via smartphone, tablet, computer, in-person interview, telephone interview, and mail. There will be a number of hands-on activities throughout this workshop for constructing new survey measures as well as for improving examples of existing survey measures brought by the workshop participants themselves and drawn from the International Social Survey Programme’s 2023 module on national identity and citizenship. 

This full-day workshop will be held at DC 1568 (inside the DC library). Registration is free for all members of the university. 

Workshop outline

9:00am - 10:30am 

  • Session 1: Figuring out what you want to know

10:30am - 10:45am Morning break

10:45am - 12:15pm

  • Session 2: Tips and tricks for developing survey questions

12:15pm - 1pm Lunch break

1:00pm - 2:30pm

  • Session 3: Tips and tricks for developing survey answer options

2:30pm - 2:40pm Afternoon break

2:45pm - 4:00pm 

  • Session 4: Putting together a survey questionnaire

Our speaker: Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme

A picture of Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme

Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo. She is also the Associate Director of the Statistical Consulting and Survey Research Unit. 

Registration