The kinds of data you need will depend on your research question/field. A balance must be struck between validating and being sensitive to respondent choice by providing a broad and inclusive list, vs managing survey time and data analysis by perhaps limiting the number of choices provided.
Questions to ask yourself as you plan your demographic questions:
- Why are you asking the question?
- Because the answer is directly relevant to your hypothesis
- To establish your participant profile for the purposes of publication.
- Are there meaningful differences between the categories you list?
- Is the population you are targeting sensitive to depth of responses available?
- The degree of specificity will depend on the type of research you are doing. Clearly, research in the area of relationships and sexuality will require highly detailed responses to questions of sexual orientation, gender and sex, and relationship status.
- Open text boxes may provide and allow for diversity – but what impact might this have on data analysis? Formulate questions which will provide the information you must have, while respecting the diversity of the population.
Asking About Age
Q: How old are you? ________________ [or include age ranges]
Note: Do not collect full birth date unless necessary – since this can be fully identifying.
Asking about Sex and Gender
Sex refers to an individual’s attributes/characteristics (sometimes referred to as sex assigned at birth)
Q: What is your sex?
- Female
- Male
- Intersex
- Prefer not to answer
Gender: An aspect of a person's social identity (or a "social construct"), including expectations for behavior, appearance, role, and more.
Gender Identity: Is a person’s inner understanding of the gender(s) to which they belong or with which they identify. This is each person’s unique knowing or feeling, and is separate from a person’s physical body or appearance (although often related).
Q: How would you describe your gender identity?
- Agender
- Gender fluid
- Gender queer
- Man (includes cis-men, trans-men, and everyone else who identifies as a man)
- Non-binary
- Woman (includes cis-women, trans-women, and everyone else who identifies as a woman)
- Prefer not to answer
- Prefer to self-describe: ________________
Asking about Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation is a pattern of emotional, romantic and/or sexual attractions.
Q: How would you describe your sexual orientation?
- Asexual
- Bisexual
- Gay
- Lesbian
- Pansexual
- Queer
- Questioning
- Straight/Heterosexual
- Two-Spirit
- Prefer to self-describe: ________________
- Prefer not to answer
Asking about Relationship Status
Q: How would you describe your current relationship status?
- Cohabitating
- Divorced
- Married
- Separated
- Single, never married
- My relationship status is not listed here: _________________________
- Prefer not to answer
Asking about Ethnicity
The REB is in the process of reviewing and revising this content. In the interim, please consider asking about ethnicity in an open text manner that permits participant self-identification. Please contact the Ethics Office at reb@uoguelph.ca if you have any questions.
Asking about Education
Q: Which of the following best describes your highest level of education?
- Some high school
- Completed high school
- Some college/university
- Apprenticeship training and trades
- Completed college/university
- Some graduate education
- Completed graduate education
- Professional degrees
- Prefer not to answer
Asking about Religion
Q: What is your religion and/or spiritual self-identity? Select all that apply.
- Atheism
- Buddhist
- Christian
- Hindu
- Indigenous
- Jewish
- Muslim
- Sikh
- No religion
- Another religion or spiritual self-identity
- Prefer not to answer
Asking about Disability and/or Impairment
Q: Do you self-identify as a person with a disability and/or impairment? Select all that apply.
- No, I do not have a disability or impairment
- Yes, I have a neurodevelopmental disorder, intellectual, cognitive, and/or learning disability and/or impairment (e.g., Autism, ADHD, etc.)
- Yes, I have a physical disability and/or impairment (e.g., mobility, dexterity, etc.)
- Yes, I have a sensory disability and/or impairment (e.g., deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, vision, etc.)
- Yes, I have a mental health illness or disability (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, etc.)
- Yes, I have another disability and/or impairment (e.g., chronic medical condition, speech impairment, etc.)
- Prefer not to answer