Emma David, a seasoned market research professional, specializes in employee engagement, survey administration, and data management. Her expertise in leveraging data for informed decisions has positively impacted several brands, enhancing their market position.
Learn about Our Editorial Process Market Research Specialist Updated: 30 Aug, 2024Ever noticed why some surveys get overwhelming responses with high participation and detailed answers, while others barely receive any attention?
Well, the secret to a successful survey lies in crafting the right questions.
A successful survey balances straightforward, closed-ended questions with more expansive, open-ended ones. The former allows for quick and easy responses, while the latter invites detailed feedback, offering deeper insights.
The overall length of the survey and the timing of its distribution also play significant roles in effectively engaging your audience.
If you aim to design surveys that receive high response rates, this blog is tailor-made for you.
But first, let’s watch a quick video on how to create a survey.
Watch: How to Create a Survey Using ProProfs Survey Maker
Common survey questions can be broadly divided into open-ended and closed-ended questions. While open-ended questions help you collect qualitative data, with closed-ended questions, you can collect quantitative feedback.
Let’s explore these in detail:
These types of questions collect detailed information from your target audience in the form of text answers. Open-ended questions are most utilized in cases where your customers have a concern beyond what’s available in the predefined answer options.
By analyzing their word choice, language, and tone of answers, you can understand the emotions that customers go through while using your products or services. In crucial areas like customer support, you need more than just a yes/no answer from your respondents, and open-ended questions add that depth to the feedback you collect.
Example: “How is your experience of using our products?”
Closed-ended questions require the respondent to choose from a given set of responses, limiting answers to those options. This makes the data easy to quantify, allowing for straightforward analysis and comparison. Closed-ended questions are efficient for surveys with a large number of respondents, as they ensure consistency in responses and facilitate automated data processing.
Example: “Do you own a smartphone? (Yes/No)”
Rating scale questions ask respondents to evaluate a statement or question based on a given scale, such as 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, where each point on the scale represents a different level of intensity or frequency. This format is useful in customer satisfaction survey and for measuring attitudes, opinions, or behaviors, providing a quantifiable measure of subjective phenomena.
It allows researchers to assess degrees of agreement or satisfaction, making it easier to identify trends and patterns.
Example: “How likely are you to recommend our service to a friend or colleague on a scale of 0 (not likely) to 10 (extremely likely)?”
Demographic survey questions seek to collect specific data about the respondent’s background, including age, gender, income, education, employment status, and more. This information is crucial for segmenting the survey population and analyzing responses based on demographic factors.
It helps in understanding how different groups perceive and interact with a product, service, or topic, enabling targeted insights and decision-making.
Example: “What is your highest level of education completed?
Multiple choice questions offer respondents a list of possible answers, from which they select the one that most closely aligns with their opinion or experience. This type is versatile and can be used to gather data on preferences, behaviors, or factual information.
Multiple-choice questions simplify the analysis process by standardizing responses, but they require careful consideration to ensure all potential answers are represented.
Example: “Which of the following categories best describes your employment status?
Drop-down questions are a variant of multiple-choice questions that save space and help keep surveys looking clean and uncluttered. They are particularly useful when presenting a long list of options, such as countries or states. This format can improve the respondents’ experience by making it easier for them to navigate the survey.
Example: “Select your industry from the dropdown list: [List of industries]”
Also known as matrix questions, a grid of choice questions allows respondents to evaluate multiple items using the same set of response options presented in a grid format. This is efficient for collecting data on a series of statements, making it easy to compare responses across different items. However, make sure to use them sparingly to avoid overwhelming respondents.
Example: “Please rate the following aspects of our product on a scale from 1 (Very Unsatisfied) to 5 (Very Satisfied): Quality, Price, Customer Service, Durability.”
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a specialized rating scale that measures customer loyalty and the likelihood of referrals. It is a powerful tool for gauging customer satisfaction and predicting business growth. The simplicity of the NPS question format facilitates quick and easy assessment of customer sentiment towards a company, product, or service.
Example: “On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our company to friends or colleagues?”
Upload questions enable respondents to provide additional context to their answers through the upload of files or images. This can be particularly useful for gathering evidence in customer service inquiries, collecting creative submissions, or obtaining documentation. It adds a layer of depth to the data collected, allowing for more nuanced analysis.
Example: “Please upload a copy of your receipt or proof of purchase.”
Nominal questions categorize data into non-ordinal categories, meaning there is no inherent order to the options. They are used to label variables into distinct, separate groups without implying any hierarchy or quantity. This type is key for classifying respondents and can be pivotal in analyzing behavioral patterns across different segments.
Example: “Which of the following best describes your current role? (Manager, Technician, Salesperson, Administrative, Other)”
Likert scale questions are designed to capture the intensity of a respondent’s feeling towards a statement, typically ranging from strong agreement to strong disagreement. They are widely used in surveys to measure attitudes, opinions, and people’s perceptions.
Usually, the Likert scale makes use of levels (1-7), (1-5), or (1-3), where the lower levels (‘1’) are indicative of low or negative sentiments while higher levels (‘7’, ‘5’, ‘3’) are indicative of higher or positive feelings. The midpoint of the scale indicates neutral views of survey takers.
Likert scales are valuable for understanding nuances in responses and are effective for measuring changes in perceptions over time.
Example: “I believe that the customer service I received was satisfactory. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)”
‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions are the simplest form of survey questions, offering respondents a binary choice. While they may not provide deep insights, they are effective for qualifying respondents or obtaining clear, decisive answers to specific questions. They can serve as gateways to more detailed questions based on the response given.
Example: “Have you used our online customer service portal? (Yes/No)”
Data reference questions ask respondents to consider specific data, experiences, or content before answering. This type encourages respondents to reflect on particular aspects of their interaction with a product or service, providing more targeted insights.
Example: “Based on the last product update, how would you rate the improvement in user experience? (Significantly improved, Somewhat improved, No change, Somewhat worsened, Significantly worsened)”
Miscellaneous questions encompass any question type that doesn’t fit into the other categories but is necessary for achieving the survey’s objectives. They can be creatively used to gather unique insights or to add an engaging element to the survey.
Example: “If you could suggest one new feature for our app, what would it be?”
Now that we know about the different types of survey questions, it is time to delve into survey question examples categorized based on different business strategies.
Customer surveys are used to gather insights from the customer about the product, service, and the whole sales process in general. Customer survey questions are tricky as it is often difficult to identify what exactly you want from the customers. In this section, we have covered sample survey questions for customer satisfaction and customer feedback. You can use these survey questions as examples or frame your questions in a similar way.
Customer satisfaction survey questions are centered around how satisfied the customer is with the product and the company. You can frame the standard customer satisfaction survey questions for your feedback forms using these sample customer satisfaction survey questions.
Customer feedback surveys are targeted towards the most recent transaction a customer has with the brand. Take a look at how your customer service survey questions should ideally be framed.
Human resource survey question examples primarily deal with questions related to employee engagement, satisfaction, and training & development. Use these sample employee survey questions as a base for your employee survey questions.
Employee engagement survey questions are aimed at identifying the level of involvement an employee has within the organization. You can frame your employee engagement survey around the following questions.
Employee evaluation surveys are aimed at identifying an employee’s strengths and weaknesses. Given below are examples of survey questions for your employee evaluation survey.
Job satisfaction surveys, also known as employee satisfaction surveys, are used to gauge the morale of employees. Employee satisfaction survey questions need to be framed around how the employee feels regarding the job and workplace environment.
Training survey questions are focused on employee training and development activities. The ideal questions to use in training surveys are shown below.
2.5 Pre-Training Survey Questions
2.6 Post-Training Survey Questions
Market research is important when companies venture into new markets or are about to launch a new product or service. Market research survey questions include questions on demographics, previous buying behavior, and future expectations.
Demographic research questions aim to find out more about the lives of the intended audience. However, try not to include too many questions about demographics and other sensitive information, as the information revealed may get too personal.
These questions focus on collecting data about competitors’ products, services, customer satisfaction levels, marketing strategies, and market positioning. The aim is to identify strengths and weaknesses in competitors’ offerings and strategies, as well as to uncover opportunities and threats in the market.
Education surveys are equally important for teachers and students. Collecting feedback from students and teachers can help improve the school curriculum and environment. Check out the sample questions for student and education surveys below.
Survey questions for students are centered around the students’ workload and its effect on the mind of a student.
Survey questions for teachers should always center around the curriculum and the relationship of the teacher with the administration. The best survey questions for teachers are shown below.
Conducting an event survey is crucial for knowing about your audience’s expectations. Also, a post-event survey lets you know if you have addressed their challenges effectively.
Event survey questions can be broadly classified into:
Pre-event survey questions are set with the future arrangements you intend to make for your event in mind.
Frame your post-event survey questions around the insights you require from your attendees regarding the organization, facilities, and recommendations for future events.
Healthcare surveys mainly include questions about patient satisfaction, hospital employee surveys, and other surveys regarding confidential patient information. We’ve covered the ideal questions to ask in a patient satisfaction survey below.
Understanding how “aware” your audience is regarding your brand is a crucial step in learning whether you were able to reach out to them successfully. That’s exactly what brand awareness survey questions aim to achieve. Most commonly seen on social media, a few brand awareness survey questions include:
Creating a good customer experience is crucial, but so is ensuring a smooth user experience. The only way you can achieve this is by asking customers how they like your website and how you can improve upon it further. That’s what website feedback survey does. A few questions you can ask in such surveys include:
The most common survey question type is probably the sales survey questions. Post-sales, every customer is asked to undergo a quick survey. This way, companies get insight into whether their customers are happy with their purchase process, products, and services. The two main instances wherein companies ask for customer feedback and the sales survey questions that are asked include:
Carpooling, taking a cab, booking a bus or train ticket, and taking a flight to your destination have become really common among people nowadays. With a rise in demand, numerous companies are offering this service. In this case, companies ask customers to ask survey questions after the customers reach their destination. A few examples of such questions are:
Capturing leads and converting them into potential customers is crucial to keep your business booming. Not only that, but lead generation also helps you generate brand awareness and build a brand image among your target audience. A few lead generation questions you can add in your survey include:
Non-profit organizations cover a large network of donors, volunteers, and other staff. Surveys for non-profit organizations can cover fundraising events, volunteer feedback, and so on. Good examples of survey questions for nonprofits are shown below.
The best survey questions are short and precise, avoid jargon, and prompt the respondent to take up a survey with ease.
Let’s understand the tips and tricks to create a survey questions:
Survey questions play a crucial role in gathering valuable data and insights that can inform decision-making and strategy development across various fields.
Ultimately, you have to thoroughly understand the different types of survey questions and how to employ them effectively to design surveys that not only engage respondents but also yield meaningful and actionable data.
Whether you’re conducting market research, evaluating customer satisfaction, or exploring new trends, the knowledge of survey question types and their applications will increase your ability to gather reliable information and make well-informed decisions that drive success.
Make sure your surveys have versatile question types like multiple-choice questions (MCQs), rating scale and ranking scale questions, open-ended questions, etc., so that the data you collect is well-rounded, nuanced, and in-depth.
Also, use simple and jargon-free language so that your survey audience can complete your survey without confusion.
For online surveys, you can use popular survey software like ProProfs Survey Maker to get started. Use the available customizable templates and share them on multiple platforms like email, social media, website embedding, and more.
To write survey questions, ensure they are clear, concise, and free from bias. Begin with a clear objective, use straightforward language, and make sure each question is relevant to the participants.
A bad survey is characterized by leading questions, unnecessary complexity, lack of focus, or relevance to its goals, which results in poor-quality data.
You can ask someone to answer your survey by politely requesting their participation, explaining the significance of the survey, and emphasizing how their feedback will contribute to meaningful insights or improvements.
To convince a customer to fill out a survey, offer incentives, highlight the survey’s quick completion time, emphasize the impact of their feedback on improving their future experiences, and ensure the survey is easy to access.
To analyze all of the questions and answers, systematically organize the collected data, utilize statistical tools or software for analyzing quantitative responses, and apply thematic analysis for qualitative responses to identify patterns, trends, and key themes. You can also use a survey software like ProProfs Survey Maker to make the process automated and easy.
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