Online surveys are among the best ways to hear from your audience directly. However, creating the ideal survey is challenging. The key? Asking the right questions!
Choosing the right question types ensures your survey is engaging and effective, giving you the valuable insights you need without overwhelming your respondents.
In this blog, we’ll break down the essential question types for surveys that will help you get the answers you need without frustrating your respondents.
Likert scale questions
Likert scale questions are a type of survey question used to determine whether respondents agree or disagree with a statement. Typically, they contain a statement followed by a range of response options. These questions measure attitudes, opinions, and behaviors on a continuous scale.
For Example
How likely are you to recommend our service?
- Extremely Likely
- Likely
- Neutral
- Unlikely
- Not Likely at All
Types of Likert Scales
5-Point scale: The most common type gives you enough choices for responses to gather meaningful insights.
Example: Strongly Disagree , Disagree , Neutral , Agree , Strongly Agree
7-Point scale: This scale gives more opinions so people can express their views with greater nuance.
Example: Strongly Disagree , Disagree , Slightly Disagree , Neutral , Slightly Agree , Agree, Strongly Agree
10-Point scale: Used for Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Example: 0 [Not at all likely] to 10 [Extremely likely]
Where They're Used:
- Customer Feedback Surveys
- Employee Engagement Surveys
- Market Research surveys
- Healthcare surveys
- Academic surveys
Rating questions
Rating questions are a type of survey question used to measure respondents' satisfaction levels through numerical values or scores. They ask respondents to rate a statement or item on a predetermined scale, such as 1 to 5 or 1 to 10.
Examples:
On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with our services?
1 - very satisfied to 10- not satisfied at all
On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate our relationship with your college?
- Great
- Good
- Average
- Poor
- Terrible
How would you rate the overall organization of our event?
1. Extremely organized
2. Somewhat organized
3. Neutral
4. Somewhat disorganized
5. Very disorganized
Where They're Used
- Customer Satisfaction Surveys
- Product Reviews
- Event Feedback
- Employee Surveys
Multiple choice questions
In multiple-choice questions, respondents are provided with a list of options, and they have to select one or more from a closed section of choices. They are the most common type of survey questions because they are easy to answer and produce quantitative data to analyze.
Examples:
What type of cuisine do you prefer?
- Italian
- Chinese
- Mexican
- Indian
- Other
What is the capital of Germany?
- Dusseldorf
- Munich
- Berlin
- Hamburg
Where They're Used:
- Customer Satisfaction Surveys
- Market Research Surveys
- Employee Engagement Surveys
- Event Feedback Surveys
- Educational Assessments
- Product Feedback Surveys
- Health and Wellness Surveys
- Demographic Surveys
- Political Polls
- User Experience (UX) Surveys
Demographic questions
Demographical questions often ask about respondents' age, gender, race, ethnicity, income, marital status, etc.
Examples:
What is your annual household income?
- Less than $20,000
- $20,000-$50,999
- $51,000-$74,999
- $75,000 or more
What is your age?
- 15 or younger
- 16-25
- 26-35
- 36-45
- 45- 55
- 56 or older
Where They're Used:
- Market Research Surveys
- Customer Profiling Surveys
- Employee Feedback Surveys
- Event Registration Forms
- Political Polls
- Academic Research Surveys
Ranking questions
Ranking questions ask respondents to compare and arrange options according to their preference, importance, or relevance.
Examples:
Rank the following vacation destinations (1 = most preferred, 5 = least preferred)
- Mountains
- Beech
- City
- Countryside
- Deserts
Rank your career goals ( 1 = Highest priority 4 lowest priority )
- High salary
- Growth opportunities
- Work-life balance
- Workaholic
Where They're Used:
- Market Research Surveys
- Customer Feedback Surveys
- Employee Engagement Surveys
- Event Feedback Surveys
- Educational Assessments
Matrix questions
Matrix questions are closed-ended survey questions where respondents answer multiple related questions arranged in rows using the same set of response options displayed in columns.
Example:
How often do you use these features?
Where They're Used:
- Market Research Surveys
- Customer Feedback Surveys
- Employee Engagement Surveys
- Event Feedback Surveys
- Educational Assessments
Binary questions
Binary questions are close-ended questions that limit respondents to two possible answers: Yes or No, True or false. These questions are designed to get straightforward answers from respondents.
Examples :
Have you subscribed to our newsletter?
- Yes
- No
I received the product in good condition.
- True
- False
Where They're Used:
- Customer Feedback Surveys
- Employee Surveys
- Market Research
- Health Surveys
- Event Feedback
Image Choice questions
Image choice questions are a type of survey question that lets respondents choose one or more images as their answers from a defined list of choices.
For Example:
Which is your favorite dish?
Image 1 [ Sushi]
Image 2 [Pasta]
Image 3 [ Burger]
Where They're Used:
- Market Research
- Customer Feedback
- Website & App Design Surveys
- Fashion & Lifestyle Surveys
- Product Development
Dropdown Questions
Dropdown questions are a type of question in which respondents have to choose an answer from a list of drop-down options. The respondent can select single or multiple options from the drop-down menu.
For Example:
Please select your country of residence.
Dropdown Menu:
- United States
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- India
- Others
Where They're Used:
- Demographic Surveys
- Market Research
- Customer Feedback Surveys
- Event Registration Forms
- Job Application Forms
Open-Ended Question
Open-ended questions allow respondents to provide detailed answers in a free-text field. They provide researchers with more detailed information than a one-word answer. The survey structure for these questions is a question followed by an empty field box for the answer.
Examples:
What did you like most about our product?
[ Blank space]
How can we improve your experience with our service?
[ Blank space]
Where They Are Used:
- Customer Satisfaction Surveys
- Market Research
- Employee Feedback Surveys
- Focus Groups
- Product Development
- Academic Research
Slider Questions
Slider questions let respondents slide a bar or scale to rate an answer option. The slider allows for a smooth, interactive experience, where the user adjusts the slider to indicate their response
For example :
How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend?"
Slider: Not Likely (left) to Extremely Likely (right)
Examples:
- Customer Satisfaction Surveys
- Market Research
- User Experience Surveys
- Product Development Feedback
- Employee Surveys
Types of survey questions to avoid
It’s important to avoid several types of questions while designing a survey. Some of them are:
Leading questions
Leading questions are a type of survey question that encourages respondents to give a specific answer that the researcher desires. For example, "Don't you think our product is best?" or "How great was your experience using our service?" These questions suggest a positive influence, forcing respondents to respond positively.
Double Barreled questions
Double-barreled questions ask about more than one topic in a single question and allow only one response. For example, "Do you enjoy the product's design and functionality?". This can confuse respondents, who may have different opinions on each aspect.
Excessive open-ended questions
While open-ended questions can be helpful, asking too many can overwhelm respondents, leading to incomplete answers. For instance, asking, "Please describe all the reasons you chose our product over others," may cause respondents to feel exhausted and rushed.
Vague questions
Respondents struggle to understand how to react to imprecise or ambiguous questions. These questions frequently result in unclear and difficult-to-understand answers. For example: "How do you feel about our services?" This question is overly general and doesn't specify which feature of the service the respondent is assessing.
Survey Optimization with AI-Powered Tools
AI-powered tools like Theysaid optimize how surveys are created, distributed, and analyzed. Researchers can now make smarter surveys, use effective questionnaires, and leverage automated data collection for better insights. AI identifies patterns, suggests question types, and ensures that surveys are engaging and personalized for the target audience.
Some of the key features of TheySaid are:
- Automatically generate engaging questions based on your goals.
- Scale qualitative research with AI-moderated interviews.
- Summarize trends and detect action items instantly.
- The conversational AI feature gathers more detailed insights and reasoning behind responses.
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Final words
This blog covers all the question types for surveys and a list of questions that should be avoided. Moreover, it covers how Theysaid is optimizing the survey process with the help of AI.
FAQs
How to write good survey questions?
Follow are the best practices for writing survey questions:
- Ask one question at a time
- Avoid leading questions
- Avoid double-barreled questions
- Keep the survey short
- Keep your survey questions neutral
- Test your survey
What industries benefit most from AI surveys?
Industries like software, healthcare, education, retail, and financial services see the most value from AI-powered survey tools.
How can Theysaid help in survey creation?
By automatically creating questions, evaluating responses in real-time, and detecting trends or patterns, TheySaid helps create more intelligent surveys.
