Both questionnaire versions contained identical sets of 25 single-sentence descriptions of offenses. Of respondents 62 percent were given the close-ended questionnaire and 38 percent received the open-ended version. Respondents in both versions were asked to indicate the "Appropriate Social Response" for various offenses including violence, property, public order, and white collar crimes. A total of 6,900 judgments were obtained. Comparisons were made between responses to close-ended and open-ended questions both in terms of qualitative and quantitative dimensions of punishment. Analysis of the judgments confirmed that the method used to determine the public's preference of punishment for a crime has an impact on the response. The close-ended questionnaire version elicited a greater number of punishments than its open-ended counterpart. A greater proportion of respondents to the close-ended version selected incarceration and fines, while the open-ended respondents assigned longer prison sentences and selected a number of punishments beyond those specified in the close-ended version. However, the extent to which the two sets of responses represent substantive differences could not be determined. Tables and 11 references. (Author abstract modified).