Which data collection method may be administered to a large group of people, but typically has a low response rate?

Which data collection method may be administered to a large group of people, but typically has a low response rate?

• A. Questionnaires
• B. Cognitive research
• C. Documentation analysis
• D. Interviews

Answer: (A)

Questionnaires are designed to reach a large number of people by letting respondents complete them on their own, which makes them highly scalable and cost-effective for broad data collection. The trade-off is that response rates tend to be low because some individuals ignore surveys, are busy, or find the questions burdensome. This combination—wide reach with a potential for low engagement—makes questionnaires the best fit for collecting data from large groups while often dealing with nonresponse bias. Cognitive research typically involves in-depth tasks with smaller, carefully selected samples, so it isn’t aimed at broad distribution. Documentation analysis uses existing records rather than new responses from a large population. Interviews require direct interaction and are resource-intensive, limiting the ability to administer to very large groups.

Questionnaires are designed to reach a large number of people by letting respondents complete them on their own, which makes them highly scalable and cost-effective for broad data collection. The trade-off is that response rates tend to be low because some individuals ignore surveys, are busy, or find the questions burdensome. This combination—wide reach with a potential for low engagement—makes questionnaires the best fit for collecting data from large groups while often dealing with nonresponse bias.

Cognitive research typically involves in-depth tasks with smaller, carefully selected samples, so it isn’t aimed at broad distribution. Documentation analysis uses existing records rather than new responses from a large population. Interviews require direct interaction and are resource-intensive, limiting the ability to administer to very large groups.