Questionnaire
Topic: Geographical Data: Sources, Compilation and Processing · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Data - Its Source and Compilation"
Meaning
A questionnaire is a written list of questions, often with answer choices, that the respondent (the person answering) fills in on their own. It is a way of collecting primary data, meaning data gathered first-hand for a set purpose. It is cheap, it can be posted to faraway places, and it suits surveys over large areas. Its big limit is that only people who can read and write can use it.
Example
A student studying how people travel to work in a city could post a questionnaire to households across many towns. Each literate household fills in the form and sends it back. No investigator has to visit.
Don't confuse with
- Schedule: a schedule is filled in by a trained enumerator who asks the questions. This means illiterate people can also take part, as in the Census.