Then again, sometimes the best answer to a question is “This doesn’t apply to me.”
Ergo, researchers should also seriously consider giving research participants the option to answer, “Does not apply” in surveys and questionnaires.

Sometimes the real answer to a question is “I don’t know.”
Researchers make a big mistake if they do not give respondents the option to answer “Don’t know.”
‘Nuff said.

A common research mistake is not giving participants the option to give a neutral response.
For example, consider the following sample survey question:
How do you feel about President Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize?

Extremely unexcited
Somewhat unexcited
Somewhat excited
Extremely excited

Unfortunately, writing a question in this manner does not give respondents the opportunity for a neutral response, such [...]

Okay . . . so I took a couple of months off since writing the last Politis PR Tip. I’m back in the saddle once again; maybe not every day, but adding to this list nonetheless. So . . . here goes.
= = = = = = = = = =
Since many public relations campaigns [...]

You’d think that crafting a Yes-No question in a questionnaire would be easy, right? Well, not really.
Think about it: Have you ever been asked a Yes/No question and realized that your true answer should be

I Don’t Know / Undecided, or
Maybe, or
Does Not Apply?

When writing simple Yes or No questions in a research study, we recommend [...]