Doing Research on the Night before Christmas
We ran this script of a Christmas Eve phone survey interview two years ago. It’s time to bring it out again! It’s an amusing and oh-too-true parody of how market research pollsters ask questions in clear, precise, linear ways to gather data we need for analysis. Although it takes the form of a phone interview here, it applies to survey research no matter what mode we typically use.
The script was written by Mitch Pravatiner, currently at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). It is shown in exactly the format that telephone interviewers typically see on their computer screens. We have worked with Mitch in the past, and he is a true pro when it comes to telephone interviewing.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas . . .
Hello, this is [NAME OF INTERVIEWER] from [NAME OF ORGANIZATION], an opinion research organization. Tonight we’re calling people across the country to find out what’s going on in their homes on the night before Christmas. Please rest assured that this is not a sales call, and that everything you tell us will be kept confidential. Would you be willing to participate?
- Yes (CONTINUE)
- No (THANK AND TERMINATE)
Q1. First of all, have you noticed any creatures stirring in your house tonight?
- Yes (SKIP TO Q3)
- No
- DON’T KNOW (SKIP TO Q3)
- REFUSED (SKIP TO Q3)
Q2. Not even a mouse? (DO NOT READ LIST)
- YES, NOTICED MOUSE STIRRING
- NO, NOT EVEN A MOUSE
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q3. Have you hung any stockings by your chimney?
- Yes
- No (SKIP TO Q6)
Q4. How much care did you use in hanging the stockings by the chimney? Please rate it on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means “no care at all” and 10 means “extreme care.”
- ENTER DIGIT 0 to 10 _______
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q5. What would you say was the single main reason you hung stockings by the chimney? Was it:
- In the hope that Santa Claus would drop in
- To dry them after you had to walk home through a series of deep snowdrifts
- They had developed runs, so there was no other use for them, or
- Some other reason (SPECIFY)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q6. As far as you know, what visions have your children experienced in bed tonight? (RANDOMIZE)
- (NO CHILDREN)
- Barbie dolls
- GI Joes
- Chatty Cathys
- Sugar plums
- Betsy Wetsys
- Cabbage Patch Kids
- Tickle Me Elmos
- Easy Bake Ovens
- Candy canes
- Radio Flyers
- Fruitcake
- Red Ryder BB guns
- Other (if “yes” go to Q6a, otherwise skip to q7)
Q6a. What other visions? (PROBE AND CLARIFY)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q7. Have you tried to get any sleep so far tonight?
- Yes
- No
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q8. Were you awakened from your sleep at any time tonight?
- Yes
- No
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q9. What woke you up? (READ LIST)
- A loud noise outside the house
- A loud noise inside the house
- Indigestion from something you ate at the office party earlier today
- Something else (SPECIFY)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q10. What did you do after you woke up? (READ LIST)
- Got up to see what was going on
- Shrugged it off and went back to sleep
- Something else (SPECIFY)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q11. What did you notice after that?
- A sleigh pulled by reindeer parked on the front lawn
- A UPS truck that overturned after skidding on black ice on the street in front of your house
- Several drunks who passed out on the lawn after leaving the party next door
- Something else (SPECIFY)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q12. Was Santa Claus with the sleigh and the reindeer?
- Yes
- No
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q13. How many reindeer did you see?
- (RECORD NUMBER)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q14. Did Santa mention any of them by name?
- Yes
- No
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q15. Which reindeer do you recall him mentioning? (DO NOT READ LIST; MULTIPLE ANSWERS PERMITTED)
- DASHER
- DANCER
- PRANCER
- VIXEN
- COMET
- CUPID
- DONNER
- BLITZEN
- OTHER (SPECIFY)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q16. (ASK FOR EACH REINDEER NOT MENTIONED IN Q15) Did Santa also mention [NAME OF REINDEER] by name?
- Yes
- No
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q17. Did Santa move the sleigh anywhere after that?
- Yes
- No
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q18. Where did he move it to?
- The roof
- The back yard
- The alley behind the house
- Somewhere else (SPECIFY)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q19. Did Santa enter your house after that?
- Yes
- No
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q20. How did he enter your house?
- Through the front door
- Through the back door
- Through the chimney
- Some other way (SPECIFY)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q21. Can you describe Santa while he was in your house? (PROBE AND CLARIFY)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q22. Did you and he speak to each other while he was in the house?
- Yes
- No
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q23. Which of the following best describes what Santa Claus did while in your house?
- Filled the stockings and then left
- Filled the stockings, then ate your Christmas cookies, and then left
- Filled the stockings, ate your Christmas cookies, polished off your eggnog, and left
- Something else (SPECIFY)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Q24. How did he leave your house?
- Through the front door
- Through the back door
- Through the chimney
- Some other way (SPECIFY)
- DON’T KNOW
- REFUSED
Thank you. Those are all the questions we have for you this evening. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
