All methods of collecting data have strengths and weaknesses. You should consider those unique to questionnaires before deciding to undertake questionnaire research.
In the following discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of written questionnaires, we will briefly compare questionnaires with two major alternatives for collecting data:
• Structured telephone interviews in which all respondents are asked the same questions-usually short-answer or multiple-choice questions.
• In-depth, semistructured personal interviews in which interviewers have some questions they ask all respondents but may also follow up with additional questions constructed on the spot to take advantage of leads, obtain additional details, and so on.