Questionnaire instructions--does anybody read them?

In the absence of data useful to the design of instructions for self-administered questionnaires, a study was performed in a family practice clinic on people having their first complete physical there. Although 1,303 persons filled out a health questionnaire prior to their examination, only 36.5% gave evidence of having carefully read the brief instructions. Women did better than men and some occupational or educational subcategories were above this average, but no subgroup had a high enough response rate to warrant relying on the instructions for important information. In particular, there was no evidence that either those in poorer health or those completing a questionnaire for their young children were any more careful in reading the instructions. Those who design such self-administered questionnaires are advised to make the form completion self-evident, rather than to rely upon introductory instructions to convey this information.