社会调查中的“中间答案”:设置与否的差别研究

On Differences between Giving "Middle Answers"or Not in Surveys

采用实验研究的逻辑,利用大规模社会调查所得的经验数据,对问卷设计中有关态度、评价问题答案设计的两种方法进行了探讨。研究结果表明,调查问卷设计中采用没有中间答案的偶数形式与采用有中间答案的奇数形式所得到的调查结果之间存在明显的差别;这种差别的大小依据问题性质的不同而有所不同,其范围从5%左右到33%左右。中间答案的出现主要"吸引"的是没有中间答案的问卷中一部分"比较级"的回答者,而对两个极端回答的影响不大。中间答案及其比例究竟是一种客观存在的状况,还是一种自我隐藏的空间和结果,是值得进一步探讨的问题。

According to the logic of experiment and with the data go~ from a survey, this research discusses two design methods of giving answers about atti-tude and evaluation in questionnaire design. The results show that there were distinct differences between the result from even number format which had no middle answers and the result from odd number format which had middle an-swers in it. The degree of difference, ranging from 5% to 33%, differs with the nature of questions. The middle answers mainly ＂attract＂ those respondents who want to answer with comparative degree, but have no effect on those respondents with extreme answers. Whether middle answers and their proportion in the ques-tionnaire are objective existence or self-concealed space remains an issue to be further discussed.