Open-Ended vs Closed-Ended Questions - Assignment Example

The questions are appropriate for use when there is no time available for comprehensive research. They are also used when marketing researchers want to obtain data on consumers’ background information. Their purpose is to elicit specific information in a simple way and use the data to ascertain the statistical significance of other market survey results (Reid & Bojanic, 2010).

Open-ended questions are investigative, and they provide rich qualitative data. It allows respondents to give answers they think are most appropriate. The questions provide marketing researchers with the opportunity to gain insight into various opinions on topics they are not conversant with. Due to the questions’ qualitative nature, they cannot provide sound statistical significance necessary for conclusive research. They are appropriate for use when doing marketing research that involves small groupings of people. They can also be used when a researcher wants to gain preliminary information before he or she can proceed to quantitative research. The question's main purpose is to help marketing researchers obtain in-depth information and facts about a product (Reid & Bojanic, 2010).