Bad Questions | Question Wording Problems | COM 382

A study song about the six types of question wording problems in survey research. Created for COM 382: Quantitative Research Methods in Communication at the University of Washington.
Good survey data starts with good questions — and these are the six ways questions go wrong. Double-barreled questions ask about two things but only allow one response ("I feel welcomed by staff and other youth"). Leading questions push respondents toward a particular answer ("Don't you agree the recycling program is excellent?"). Loaded questions use emotionally charged language ("Do you support the university's wasteful spending on unnecessary positions?"). Double negatives make questions impossible to parse. Jargon-y questions use technical terms respondents don't understand — write for the participant, not your professor. And overlapping response options aren't mutually exclusive — if someone is 25 and the options are 18–25 and 25–30, where do they go? The bridge dives deep into jargon and overlapping options, the two students most often miss on exams.
CONCEPTS COVERED:

Double-barreled — two issues in one question with only one response allowed
Leading — phrased to suggest a particular answer
Loaded — emotionally charged or biased language
Double negative — multiple negatives making meaning unclear
Jargon-y — technical terms respondents may not understand
Overlapping response options — categories that aren't mutually exclusive
The importance of clear, unbiased, straightforward question wording

LYRICS:
[Verse 1]
"I feel welcomed by staff and other youth"
But what if staff is rude and youth are cool?
Two issues, only one response to give
That's double-barreled — split it, let both live
"Don't you agree recycling here is great?"
That question's pushing you to agree, don't take the bait
It suggests the answer it wants you to say
That's a leading question — get that bias away
[Chorus]
Six bad questions, six ways to go wrong
Double-barreled — two things, one response
Leading — pushes toward an answer
Loaded — emotional language
Double negative — confusing to read
Jargon-y — they don't know what you mean
Overlapping options — where do I fit?
Fix the question, fix the data you get
[Verse 2]
"Wasteful spending on unnecessary jobs"
Loaded language makes assumptions — hear the bias throb
Emotionally charged words that sway the mind
Strip it neutral, leave the judgment behind
"Does it seem possible or impossible
that the extermination never happened?"
Double negatives twist meaning inside out
Make it straightforward — remove the doubt
[Bridge]
Jargon-y means using technical terms
Your respondents don't know what "operationalize" means
Write at the level of who's reading it
Not for your professor — for the participant
Overlapping options — eighteen to twenty-five
And twenty-five to thirty — where does twenty-five reside?
Mutually exclusive means one and only one
If two options fit, your categories are done wrong
Part of "The Survey Album" for COM 382. Created by Prof. Katy Pearce, University of Washington, Spring 2026. Music generated with Suno AI. Lyrics and educational content © Katy Pearce, CC BY-NC.
#COM382 #ResearchMethods #QuestionWording #SurveyDesign #QuantitativeResearch #UW #StudyMusic #DoubleBarreled #LeadingQuestions

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