How to write good survey questions?

One of the pitfalls of creating a survey is not asking the right questions correctly, resulting in exploited data leading to inaccurate results. This is why we’ve compiled some of the best practices for writing good survey questions. 

Now, let’s deep-dive into these practices:

Ask more close-ended questions

Open-ended questions will undoubtedly give you a clearer picture of the customer’s perspective. 

However, if you ask a bunch of open-ended questions in the survey, the respondents may eventually drop off. Because such questions are time-consuming. 

Furthermore, since the respondents are free to express themselves, irrelevant data may be collected. An ideal survey has a combination of both open-ended and closed-ended questions. 

Maintain a diverse range of response options

The respondents should not feel forced to give their answers. Sometimes, they may not know the answer to a question or may prefer to skip a particular question. The answer choices should reflect users’ emotions. They should include both extreme and neutral options. For example, consider the following options for a question about a customer’s experience at a hotel – 

• Extremely satisfied
• Somewhat satisfied
• Satisfied

Imagine if a customer was not dissatisfied with their stay. The choices given above will not be enough. Instead, go for a diverse range of options as given below – 

• Extremely satisfied
• Satisfied
• Neutral
• Dissatisfied
• Extremely dissatisfied

Focus on one question at a time

Each question in the survey should focus on a single subject at a time. Avoid merging multiple questions into a single one, as they will only confuse the respondents. Keep an eye out for questions with “and” or “or.” 

For example, “Do you use both a mobile phone and a desktop?” What if the respondent uses only one of them? They will be unable to answer this question correctly. It is best to split such questions into two questions. 

Use neutral wordings in your questions

The way questions are phrased has a big impact on the survey’s performance. Questions based on assumptions have the potential to lead respondents to a specific response. The use of subjective terms like “great” and “amazing” can skew the results. 

For example, “How satisfied are you with our amazing customer service?” – The question seems to express a point of view that you want people to agree with. 

“How satisfied are you with our customer service?” – is a more subtle way to pose the question.

Avoid using jargon

Phrases and slang are not understood by all. For example, if a survey is being conducted for school children, asking a lot of technical questions would simply confuse them. Therefore, it is best to stick to simple and clear language. A survey should be easy to understand and should not take more than a couple of minutes to complete. 

Ask unbiased survey questions

Sometimes, some questions may provoke the respondents to agree with your opinion. This might give unfair results as they might not be able to express their true feelings.

Rather, you may ask, “How satisfied are you with our product quality?”

Avoid using double-barreled questions

The most prevalent fallacy in surveys is double-barreled questions. However, they are reasonably simple to eliminate. It is a form of inquiry that combines more than one topic and asks about two separate concerns while only allowing one answer. They are problematic because the responses can be readily misconstrued, and there is no method for the respondent to specify which aspect of the question they have responded to.

Instead, you may ask separate questions such as “Do you like the taste of the food?” and “Do you like the plating of the food?”

Attention check questions

Attention check questions, which ask participants to recall particular information from earlier in the survey, are sometimes used by researchers. These tests aim to distinguish between respondents who supply high-quality replies and those who provide low-quality or untrustworthy data. 

If the respondent passes the attention check question, they will be directed to the next portion of the survey. Otherwise, they will be disqualified.

Ask direct and detailed questions

Some questions may lead to confusion and misinterpretation if not defined properly. Avoid ambiguous language to ensure that each respondent gives the same type of answer. Ask direct questions, and do mention the aim of asking a specific question. 

Test the survey

Another important consideration is to always test your surveys before releasing them. With online survey tools, a pre-final version of the survey can be shared with friends, coworkers, etc. This way, you can test how participants respond to the questions. Gather a group of people and observe how they react to your survey. 

This will allow you to find out if the questions are easy to understand for everyone or if the answer options are enough to express everyone’s opinion and more. If they appear to be struggling, you can bet that a few questions were incorrectly phrased.

These survey practices will always help you create surveys fast. You can also use pre-made survey templates to learn how to create surveys before you become confident to write survey questions yourself.