Which type of question in a questionnaire allows respondents to answer in their own words without pre-set choices?

Open questions are designed to allow respondents to express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions in their own words, providing rich qualitative data. This format encourages more detailed responses than those constrained by pre-set answer choices, which can limit the depth of understanding regarding the respondents' perspectives. In a questionnaire, open questions foster a conversational tone, enabling participants to elaborate on their experiences or views, resulting in a more nuanced dataset that can yield insights into complex social phenomena. This flexibility is particularly valuable for exploratory research, where the goal is to uncover themes, patterns, or issues that may not be readily apparent through more structured question types.

Closed questions, for instance, limit responses to predefined options, which may not capture the full range of participants' opinions. Leading questions may bias responses by suggesting a particular answer, while double-barreled questions combine two distinct inquiries into one, making it difficult for respondents to provide a clear answer. Each of these types has its place in research, but open questions uniquely empower respondents to share their viewpoints comprehensively.