Ambiguity is most common problem in question wording. In fact, it’s an umbrella term that covers most of the problems in question writing. Some examples here will show the problem – and we’ll present some ways to avoid the problem.
And yes, the above image is real. It’s from a form to make an appointment for a Global Entry interview with a US Government agency.
First of all, what do we mean by ambiguity? Ambiguity means the phrasing is unclear, vague, or open to multiple interpretations. Simply put, various people reading the question can read it differently and thus answer it differently. The heart of many a comedian’s jokes rests on that ambiguity.
Our goal in capturing data, be it on a survey or a data collection form, is to gather data that accurately represents the viewpoint of the people completing the form. When the form has ambiguous terminology, then respondents aren’t sure what question they’re being asked.
One of my favorite ambiguous forms we may encounter when travelling internationally. You many have seen this question on the immigration form. In this case when I was traveling into Canada, but I’ve seen this on other countries’ forms.
Is a work computer a commercial good?
We probably all have a fairly consistent definition of a “weapon,” but what’s a “commercial good”? Folks who wrote the immigration laws know what they mean by that, but what does that mean to everyday people? They clarify – or attempt to – by adding the examples of “samples, tools, equipment”. Now I have to interpret those words!
First time I encountered this was on a business trip to Canada. I was carrying my work computer. Is that a “commercial good”? Isn’t a computer a type of “equipment”? (I had been employed by Digital Equipment Corporation.)
I made the mistake of answering “yes” that time. Boy, what a mistake. A deep interrogation ensued. I still don’t know what is – and isn’t – a commercial good, but I know that’s it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.
I’ve also learned on business trips to Canada to always add a day or two for sightseeing. The form also asks if you’re traveling in Canada for business or pleasure. A business response leads to interrogation; whereas, pleasure doesn’t. Canada doesn’t want Americans taking their jobs, but they want our tourist dollars. In this case, I’m leveraging the ambiguity.
Now, if they asked the “primary purpose” of the trip, then I’d be in trouble.
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I recently encountered some wonderfully bad examples when applying for unemployment as a result of the Covid pandemic, even as a self-employed person. The form contained a series of Yes/No question. Look at the nearby screenshot of one of them.
Mass PUA Conditional Question
The question opens with a dependent clause (adverbial clause in this case). How would you answer this if you were NOT able to work from home, for example, a self-employed electrician? The Yes/No applies to the “voluntary decision”. You can’t just skip the question since it’s required.
This question begs for the dependent clause to be set up as a branching question.
Later, the form has truly bizarre phrasing that could only be written by someone, including the proof readers – if any — who have no concept of basic accounting. The state wants to know your income so it can determine benefits. Nearby is the question for this.
What is “Expenses minus tentative profit”?
First of all, “Income” is an ambiguous term. Yup. People who work for a company think of income as what’s in their weekly paycheck. For the self-employed, we have to get stricter with our terms. Companies generate revenue. Expenses are subtracted from revenue to arrive at income. (I’m keeping this simple; it’s actually more complicated.)
While I “deduct” expenses from my revenue, those aren’t “deductions” in the sense we use on tax forms.
But they help us out by pointing to the line on the tax form with the answer (Line 31 of Schedule C), right? Well, nearby is a screenshot from Schedule C.
Schedule C Net Profit Form
Line 31 is correct. That’s what they want us to report. I think. But the question throws in “Net Profit or Loss – Expenses minus tentative profit.”
I’ve been self-employed for 25 years. I have a masters and doctorate in business. I’ve taught in business schools for 30 years. I have no idea what “Expenses minus tentative profit” means. And neither does the person who wrote the question.
Line 31 is Tentative Profit minus Expenses. Yup, they got it backwards.
The question as worded stopped me in my tracks. I literally looked up Schedule C. I didn’t want to answer incorrectly since I’d be breaking the law. But the real crime is the incorrect question phrasing.
Yes, I understand this was all thrown together in a rush, but couldn’t someone have read it over? Hey, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; I’m up for hire!
How do we avoid the problem of ambiguous phrasing in forms and surveys?
Let me close with a favorite example of mine. Every time we visit the doctor’s office, we inevitably have to complete some form for some compliance reason. Every medical form has the question “Are you under a physician’s care?” – or something close to that.
What does “under the care” mean?
Well, what does that prepositional phrase, “under a physician’s care”, mean? That could mean:
“Care” is a cute word upon which some form writer stumbled. It sounds good, doesn’t it? What I do to pass time in the waiting room is to ask the person behind the counter what the phrase means. Try that next time. See what you get for an answer – if you get an answer.