Ipsos Encyclopedia - Double-barrelled Questions

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Ipsos Encyclopedia - Double-barrelled Questions Double-barrelled questions are those that functionally ask respondents two questions at the same time and only allow one response. 20.03.24 Share

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Double-barrelled questions are those that functionally ask respondents two questions at the same time and only allow one response. They can confuse respondents, and answers to such questions are often uninterpretable, because it is not possible to determine to which question the answer refers. These questions invoke more than one concept at a time.

An example of a double-barrelled question is:

Please agree or disagree with the following statement: ‘Cars should be faster and safer’ (i.e.: What if I agree cars should be safer but not faster?),

or

Should the government spend less money on the military and more on education? (i.e.: what if I think they should spend more on one and less on the other?).

Double-barrelling can apply as much to the actors as to the actions mentioned in the question (e.g. do you believe that professors and administrators at your college are concerned with your academic success?).

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