That’s nice to know, of course. Still, for me the point was more about careful survey design than about the rest of the survey’s content—hence my emphasis on the problem of Q.1 specifically in its role as the first question.

In other words, as I often discuss with my composition students, one risks alienating one’s audience—readers, survey-takers, email recipients—at each moment in any kind of communication.

More to the point, in fixed, linear forms, the order in which you present each little interaction with the members of that audience matters tremendously for its reception.

Best,
Devan