What Are Positively And Negatively Worded Questions?

Instead of phrasing all question positively it is advisable to include some negatively worded questions as well so the tendency in respondents to mechanically circle the points toward one end of the scale is minimized. For example let us say that a set of six questions is used to tap the variable perceived success on a 5 point scale with 1 being very low and 5 being very high on the scale.

A respondent who is not particularly interested in completing the questionnaire is more likely to stay involved and remain alert while answering the questions when positively and negatively worded questions are interspersed in it.  For instance if the respondent had circled 5 for a positively worded question such as , I feel I have been able to accomplish a  number of different thing in my job, he cannot circle number 5 again to the negatively worded question.

A good questionnaire should therefore include both positively and negatively worded questions. The use of double negative and excessive use of the words not and only should be avoided in the negatively worded questions. The use of double negatives and excessive use of the words not and only should be avoided in the negatively worded questions because they tend to confuse respondents.