Demographic Survey Questions

Age 

• Determining the age of respondents can help you understand how they view your product. In fact, today’s marketing is completely targeted on the basis of customers’ age – from movies & web series to shopping brands and even vacation packages. Moreover, segmentation on the basis of age is observed in politics too. For instance, US President Joe Biden won the 2020 elections due to his prominence among the young, diverse voters.    
• Based on your target audience, the answer options to an age question can vary. A survey for a pop concert will include different age groups as compared to a survey for retirement plans. However, it’s important to ensure that your scale should let people of all age groups participate in your survey. 

Q: What is your age? 

• • • Under 16
    • 17-25
    • 26-35
    • 36-45
    • 46-55
    • Over 55
    • Prefer not to say

Gender 

• Being a fundamental variable for demographic questions, gender plays a crucial role in segmenting your audience. Be it consumer products, or political inclinations, the disparity in opinions can be easily revealed with the use of gender-based demographic survey questions. 

Q: What is your gender? 

• • • Male 
    • Female
    • Others 
    • Prefer not to say

Ethnicity 

• Being a sensitive subject to many, ethnicity or race is a topic that you should avoid asking, if possible. However, there are scenarios when it becomes necessary to determine the ethnic backgrounds of the respondents. You need to keep in mind that such questions can be answered incorrectly based on the perceived use of data. 
• There are many countries in the world that have mixed ethnicities and races. As individuals come from multiracial backgrounds, so it’s important to include answer options that respondents find appropriate for themselves! 

Q: How would you describe your ethnic background? 

• • • White / Caucasian
    • Native-American
    • Asian – Indian
    • Asian – Eastern
    • African-American
    • Hispanic
    • Mixed race
    • Others 
    • Prefer not to say

Education 

• Are you aware of your customers’ education levels? Do they have a Master’s degree or are they school drop-outs? While a PhD-educated customer may love your product but a college graduate may not like it. Segmenting customers on the basis of their education can help to uncover key trends about them. This lets you create targeted messaging for improving your business performance. 

Q: Please share your highest level of education:

• • • Ph.D. or Doctorate 
    • Master’s degree 
    • Bachelor’s degree
    • High school
    • Other 

Marital Status 

• The needs and expectations of your target audience keep changing with their relationship status. It’s important to determine if your respondents are single or married? As married people have different preferences than single individuals, you need to pitch your products or services accordingly.  

Q: What is your marital status? 

• • • Married 
    • Single
    • Divorced
    • Separated
    • Prefer not to say

Income

• An individual needs money to buy a product or service. Using income-related questions in your survey help to understand if your respondent will be able to purchase your product or not. By knowing their income levels, you can accordingly offer products or services that come under their budget. 

Q: What is your annual household income?

• • • Less than $30,000
    • $30,000 – $60,000
    • $60,000 – $100,000
    • $100,000 – $150,000
    • $150,000 – $200,000
    • More than $200,000
    • Prefer not to say

Disability Status

• Do you think your specific product or service is smart enough to make the life of your customers easier? Can people with certain disabilities (related to vision, hearing, or mobility impairment) use your product? Since it’s a sensitive topic, so it’s important not to force respondents for answering this question.  

Q: Do you have any disabilities? 

• • • Yes, I have a disability 
    • No, I don’t have a disability
    • Prefer not to say

Family questions 

• In today’s time, it has become extremely important to segment individuals on the basis of their family members and dependents. The preferences of a single mother with five children would be absolutely different from a bachelor’s. This can help you understand the priorities of your respondents so you can cater to them accordingly. These types of questions can be sensitive too, so you need to be cautious while using them in your survey.  

Q: How many dependents do you have in your family? 

• • • No dependents 
    • 1-2
    • 3-4
    • More than 4
    • Prefer not to say

Language

• It’s important to determine the language your customers speak. By speaking to them in their native language, you can develop a strong bond with them. Moreover, it helps you understand some crucial details about their culture. Thus, language plays an important role in understanding the needs and goals of your intended audience.

Q: What is your primary language?   

• • • English 
    • Hindi
    • Spanish 
    • Italian
    • French
    • Arabic
    • Mandarin 
    • Portuguese
    • Others 

Voting Status

• By determining your customers’ ability to vote, you can measure their voting intentions as well as their concerns related to politics. Also, it reveals how active an individual is in terms of local and national politics. If someone has been registered to vote, it means they care about the growth of their local region as well as the country.  

Q: Are you registered to vote? 

• • • Yes
    • No
    • Prefer not to say 

Need more help with demographic survey questions? Use Voxco’s Demographic Survey Template to determine the demographics of your respondent base!