Social Science Analysis

Research methods for social and behavioral sciences. Venv: source /Users/zhangmingda/clawd/.venv/bin/activate

Survey Design

Question Types & Best Practices

• Closed-ended: Likert scales, multiple choice, ranking
• Open-ended: Free text (harder to analyze, richer data)
• Matrix questions: Multiple items, same scale (efficient but watch for straight-lining)

Likert Scale Design

Strongly Disagree (1) — Disagree (2) — Neutral (3) — Agree (4) — Strongly Agree (5)

• Use 5 or 7 points (odd for neutral option)
• Mix positively and negatively worded items (reverse-code in analysis)
• Avoid double-barreled questions
• Pilot test with 10-20 respondents