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142 Ground Access to Major Airports by Public Transportation Step 4: Develop the Questionnaire The survey questions are critical to the success of the research effort. For ground access pur- poses, the questions should, at a minimum, relate to the list of information needs listed in Tables 6-1 and 6-2. Although the information required of air travelers and airport employees is similar, the surveys will have questions unique to each group. Additional questions can be tailored to the characteristics of the specific airport. For surveys targeting multiple airports, ques- tions should be included to determine the relative use of one airport versus another. Caution is advised when adding questions, because the length of the survey may affect the number of indi- viduals completing the survey. The longer and more complicated the survey, the less likely a trav- eler is to complete and return it. Developing a good questionnaire is an art; the manner in which questions are phrased, the order of questioning, the grammar, the length of the form, and the type of information that is requested--all have implications for the successful completion of the survey. The wording of each question should be as simple and direct as possible and should be neutral in tone. Finally, the questionnaire should be tested on a small group of individuals from the sampling frame. Table 6-3 presents an outline for a sample questionnaire. Survey respondents may be sensitive to requests for certain personal information. For exam- ple, individuals are often reluctant to report information such as income and age, and when they do respond, the information may be inaccurate. However, this type of information is needed for classification and segmentation purposes among certain consumer groups and is worth includ- ing in the questionnaire. It is advisable to have requests for this type of information located near or at the end of the questionnaire, so that if respondents skip the personal questions, they are still likely to complete the rest of the questionnaire. Step 5: Summarize and Analyze the Results When the research plan is prepared, how the collected information will be used and who will use it must be considered and documented. While data can always be summarized, information Table 6-3. Example of an air traveler survey outline. Greeting and introduction to survey A. Instructions for completing questionnaire B. Questions concerning the ground access trip to the airport 1. Mode of access 2. Detailed questions about particular modes 3. Questions about the origin of the ground access trip (type of location, departure time, arrival times at airport, and so forth) 4. Questions about alternative modes and ground access services D. Questions about the air travel trip 1. Final destination 2. Purpose of air travel 3. Questions to determine resident versus non-resident status of traveler 4. Questions to determine the length of the trip (days or nights away from home) 5. Questions about the travel party 6. Frequency of air travel to subject airport E. Classification questions 1. Home address 2. Demographic information 3. Airline, flight number, and departure time SOURCE: TCRP Report 62, MarketSense.