How to Write Survey Questions Like an Expert

Surveys have become ubiquitous and are powerful tools for collecting actionable insights, but their effectiveness depends on the quality of the survey questions. Clear, well-structured survey questions help organizations find answers, start conversations, make decisions, and compare results over time. To boost response rates and data quality, experts recommend using specific, unbiased questions, avoiding double-barreled or leading items, and placing sensitive questions later in the survey. Mixing question types—open-ended, multiple choice, Likert scales, sliders, ranking, and NPS—captures both quantitative and qualitative data. Testing and refining your survey ensures clarity and consistency, leading to more reliable insights and better decisions.

Surveys are everywhere today. You’ll find them on your favorite website, in your email or mailbox, on the back of your receipts—you’ll even be hit up for your opinion on the phone after completing a simple bank transaction! With the rise of web surveys, it has become easier than ever for survey takers to participate from anywhere.

So what’s with all the surveying, anyhow?

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Who’s Conducting Surveys—and Why?

Surveys offer a wealth of benefits for the survey taker. There are in-person interviews, phone surveys, mail-in surveys, online surveys, and kiosk surveys, and they may be conducted by corporations, governments, employers, schools, and individuals… just about anyone or any entity that can benefit from understanding the opinions of others. Surveys are often tailored to a specific target audience to ensure relevant and actionable insights (for example, summertime surveys).

The main reasons for conducting a survey are:

1. Finding answers. Surveys allow the researcher to learn about what motivates respondents and what’s important to them. They can also provide opinions, commentary, and feedback. Analyzing survey responses helps organizations understand their audience and make informed decisions.
2. Starting a conversation. A survey can be the first part of an initiative. Simple survey questions may eventually grow into something larger, often involving follow-up conversations with the respondents.
3. Making decisions. Rather than relying on “gut feelings,” good survey questions provide an unbiased approach to decision-making. A thorough analysis of results also allows decision-makers to prioritize things by importance based on respondents’ concerns.
4. Comparing results. Surveys offer a snapshot in time of the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of the target survey population. This can be used to establish a benchmark from which to compare results over time. Asking the same question in multiple surveys is important for tracking changes and identifying trends.

Demographic questions are often included to better understand the makeup of the survey population.

Surveys can ask about a wide range of topics, such as customer satisfaction, employee engagement, or evaluation of a specific product feature, and you can also use a follow-up survey to collect additional feedback.

Including only relevant questions helps avoid wasting valuable space in the survey. Earlier questions in a survey can influence how respondents answer subsequent questions, as the order and context set by earlier questions may lead to order effects that impact the validity and comparability of results.

Boost Response Rates with Good Survey Questions

Regardless of a researcher’s reason for conducting a survey, a survey is usually only as good as its questions. Poorly worded or constructed surveys often turn people off; they’ll simply ignore the survey altogether, or begin it and then drop out from frustration. Using the right question format and survey question types is essential for crafting effective survey questions that yield actionable insights.

Here are five tips for writing the best survey questions: focus on clarity, use specific questions, avoid double-barreled questions by breaking them into separate questions, and avoid placing sensitive questions or difficult questions at the beginning of the survey. Avoid combining multiple questions into a single survey item, as this can confuse respondents and reduce the accuracy of your data. This approach helps ensure good questions that are easy for survey takers to answer and improves the overall quality of your data.

Genroe, a B2B marketing consultancy company, reports that the average response rate for online surveys is approximately 20%. This number can be higher when a survey is conducted internally (for example, an employer surveying employees) or when there is an incentive involved; it can also be a lot lower when the survey design, survey structure, or types of survey questions are done poorly. Clear response options and well-defined user response options can also improve participation and response rates.

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Types of Survey Questions

When it comes to writing good survey questions, understanding the different types of survey questions is key to collecting valuable insights from your respondents. Each question type serves a unique purpose and can help you gather both qualitative and quantitative data. Close ended questions are a key type for quantitative data collection, as they use predefined response options to ensure consistency and ease of analysis.

Open-ended questions invite respondents to answer in their own words, allowing for detailed responses and deeper opinions. These are perfect for uncovering new ideas or understanding the “why” behind a respondent’s answer. Follow-up open-ended questions can help clarify the respondent’s answer and provide more nuanced insights. Open-ended questions often use a text box for respondents to type their answers, and text boxes can also be used in ranking or matrix questions for inputting rankings or additional comments. When designing open-ended questions, it’s important to provide clear instructions and comprehensive answer options to facilitate accurate answering by respondents.

Closed-ended questions provide predefined answer options, making it easy to analyze and compare responses. These include nominal questions, which offer multiple non-numerical answer choices (like selecting a favorite color). Some closed-ended questions allow respondents to select one or more options from a list of multiple answer choices. It’s important to provide a comprehensive set of possible answers to ensure all respondent perspectives are covered. Yes/no questions, which require a simple binary answer, are a common example. Dichotomous questions are a type of closed-ended question that offer only two possible answers, such as yes/no or true/false, making them simple and quick to answer but limited in capturing nuanced responses.

Likert scale questions are a popular way to measure attitudes or opinions, typically asking respondents to rate their agreement with a statement on a scale (such as “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”). These questions help you gauge the intensity of customer sentiment and are especially useful in market research and customer satisfaction surveys. Likert scales often use agree/disagree statements to measure opinions or attitudes.

Rating scale questions ask respondents to rate something on a numerical scale, such as 1 to 10. This format is ideal for quantifying opinions and tracking changes over time, for example, “How would you rate your experience with our customer service team?” Rating scales can take various forms, such as numerical, star ratings, or slider questions.

Slider questions are a type of rating scale question where respondents move a pointer along a scale to indicate their response, often providing a more interactive way to capture numerical feedback.

By mixing these types of survey questions in your surveys, you can capture a wide range of responses and generate actionable insights that drive better decisions.

Survey Question Structure

A well-structured survey question is the foundation of any good survey. When writing good survey questions, it’s important to keep your question stem clear and concise, so respondents immediately understand what’s being asked. The question should focus on a single topic and avoid unnecessary complexity.

Equally important are the answer choices you provide. These should be mutually exclusive—meaning each respondent can select only one answer that fits their experience—and exhaustive, so every possible answer is covered. For example, if you ask, “How satisfied are you with our customer service team?” your answer choices might range from “Very satisfied” to “Very dissatisfied” on a Likert scale. This format ensures that every respondent can find an answer that matches their opinion, leading to more accurate and valuable insights.

Consistency is also key. If you use a rating scale or Likert scale, keep it the same throughout your survey to avoid confusing respondents. By paying attention to the structure of each survey question, you’ll create a good survey that encourages honest, thoughtful responses and helps you gather the insights you need.

Matrix and Ranking Questions

Matrix and ranking questions are powerful types of survey questions that help you collect quantitative data and uncover valuable insights about your respondents’ opinions and preferences.

Matrix questions present a set of related items or statements in a grid, allowing respondents to rate each one using the same set of answer choices—often a Likert scale. For example, you might ask respondents to rate their satisfaction with different aspects of your service, such as “product quality,” “price,” and “customer support,” all in one table. This format makes it easy for respondents to provide consistent feedback across multiple items, and for you to compare results at a glance.

Ranking questions, on the other hand, ask respondents to order a list of items by preference or importance. For instance, you could ask, “Please rank the following features in order of importance to you,” and list several product features. This helps you understand what matters most to your audience.

Both matrix questions and ranking questions are excellent for gathering structured, quantitative data and for identifying trends in respondent opinions, making them essential tools in any survey.

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NPS and Customer Satisfaction

Measuring customer satisfaction is crucial for any business, and survey questions like the Net Promoter Score (NPS) make it easy to gauge loyalty and overall sentiment. The NPS is based on a single, straightforward survey question: “How likely are you to recommend our product or service to a friend or colleague?” Respondents answer on a scale from 0 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely).

To calculate your Net Promoter Score, subtract the percentage of detractors (those who answer 0–6) from the percentage of promoters (those who answer 9 or 10). A higher NPS indicates more satisfied and loyal customers, while a lower score signals areas for improvement.

Likert scale questions are another effective way to measure customer satisfaction. For example, you might ask, “How would you rate your overall satisfaction with our product or service?” with answer choices ranging from “Very satisfied” to “Very dissatisfied.” These types of survey questions provide valuable insights into customer opinions and help you track changes in satisfaction over time.

By including NPS and Likert scale questions in your survey, you can gather actionable insights that drive better business decisions and improve the customer experience.

How to Write Survey Questions Like an Expert

Have you put together a survey in the past without having a clear survey structure? Perhaps the length was too long or the questions too confusing; maybe the flow was off, or there were too many loaded questions.

Genroe also recently published a list of some of the real-life, bad survey questions (check it out here). If these mistakes can be made by tier-one airline companies, major supermarkets, and five-star resorts—all of which probably have their own research departments to specifically work on survey design—what hope is there for the rest of us?

Worry not! Writing good survey questions is not as difficult as it may seem. You simply need to consider the types of survey questions you’ll ask, your survey structure, and your survey design. A good survey question is clear, relevant to your objectives, and designed to gather actionable insights that help you understand customer satisfaction, preferences, or behaviors. In our free ebook, Your Guide to Writing Online Survey Questions Like an Expert, we’ll show you how to create a survey that gets results! We’ll cover:

• Choosing Your Survey Question Type, from multiple choice to image choice and slider questions.
• Question Do’s, such as being clear and providing an out.
• Questions Don’ts, such as asking leading questions and or tarnishing someone’s self-concept.

Plus, you won’t have to spend hours poring over this ebook to become a pro; we use simple, color-coded examples of good survey questions and bad survey questions.

So, if you’re wondering whether surveys are qualitative or quantitative, stop wondering how to make a good survey, and start creating one! Download SurveyLegend’s free guide today.

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Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Writing survey questions that deliver accurate answers and valuable insights requires careful attention to common pitfalls that can undermine your survey results. One of the biggest mistakes is using leading questions—questions that subtly prompt respondents toward a particular answer. For example, asking “How much did you enjoy our excellent new feature?” assumes a positive experience and can bias the respondent’s answer.

Another frequent error is the use of double-barreled questions, which combine two different topics into one question, such as “How satisfied are you with our product quality and customer support?” If a respondent has different opinions about each aspect, it’s impossible to provide a clear, accurate answer.

It’s also important to avoid closed-ended questions with too many answer options, as this can overwhelm respondents and lead to lower quality responses. Instead, keep answer options concise and mutually exclusive, so each respondent can easily select the most appropriate response.

To ensure your survey questions are clear and effective, always review them for simplicity and specificity. Pilot testing your survey with a small group can help identify confusing or biased questions before you launch your survey to a wider audience. This iterative process is essential for refining your survey and ensuring you gather the most valuable insights from your respondents.

Ensuring Survey Quality

Ensuring the quality of your survey questions is essential for collecting reliable data and generating valuable insights. Start by testing and piloting your survey with a small group from your target audience to catch any confusing or ambiguous questions. Use clear, concise language and avoid leading questions that might influence the respondent’s answer.

It’s also important to steer clear of double-barreled questions—those that ask about two things at once, such as “How satisfied are you with our product and our customer service?” Instead, break these into separate questions to get more accurate answers.

Make sure your survey is relevant and engaging for your audience, and use a representative sample of respondents to minimize bias. Write your survey questions in a neutral tone to avoid pushing respondents toward a particular answer, and be mindful of social desirability bias, where respondents may answer in a way they think is expected.

By following these best practices, you’ll create a survey that delivers high-quality responses and provides a true picture of your respondents’ opinions and behaviors. To ensure your research is credible, learn how to cite a survey in different citation styles.

Analyzing and Interpreting Results

Once you’ve collected your survey responses, the next step is to analyze and interpret the results to uncover actionable insights. Start by cleaning your data—check for incomplete or inconsistent responses and code open-ended answers for easier analysis.

Use statistical methods to analyze your quantitative data, such as calculating averages, frequencies, or running regression analysis to identify patterns and trends. For example, you might find that respondents who are “very satisfied” with your customer service team are also more likely to recommend your product.

Present your findings clearly, using tables, charts, or graphs to help visualize the results. Be transparent about any limitations, such as non-response bias or sampling errors, that could affect your conclusions.

By carefully analyzing your survey results and considering potential sources of bias, you’ll be able to draw more accurate conclusions and turn your survey questions into actionable insights that drive real improvements for your business or organization.

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Survey Question Examples

Looking for inspiration? Here are some survey question examples that can help you write good survey questions for your next project:

• Open-ended question: “What could we have improved on/done better?” This allows respondents to share their opinions in their own words, providing valuable insights into customer sentiment and areas for growth.
• Closed-ended question (Multiple choice): “Which of the following features do you use most often?”
  • Feature A
  • Feature B
  • Feature C
  • I don’t use any features.

  Multiple choice questions like this help you gather quantitative data and identify trends among your survey respondents.

• Likert scale question: “How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement: ‘The customer service team resolved my issue quickly.’”
  • Strongly disagree
  • Disagree
  • Neutral
  • Agree
  • Strongly agree

  Likert scale questions are ideal for measuring customer satisfaction and tracking changes in opinions over time.

• Rating scale question: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your experience with our customer service team?” Rating scale questions provide a simple way to quantify customer experience and identify areas for improvement.
• Yes/No question: “Would you recommend us to a friend or family member?” This straightforward question can help you calculate your Net Promoter Score and gauge overall customer loyalty.
• Slider question: “Please indicate your satisfaction by moving the slider from 0 to 100.” A slider question lets respondents select a value by moving a pointer along a scale, making it easy to measure responses numerically.
• Text box question: “Please describe your experience in your own words.” This type of question uses a text box as an input field, allowing respondents to provide detailed and personalized feedback.

By combining these different types of survey questions, you can create a good survey questionnaire that captures both detailed feedback and measurable data, leading to more actionable insights and better business decisions.

So, stop wondering how to make a good survey, and start creating one! Download SurveyLegend’s free guide today.

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Conclusion

Surveys are powerful tools for collecting actionable insights, but their impact depends on the quality of survey questions. Clear, well-structured, and unbiased questions boost response rates, improve data quality, and lead to smarter decisions. Mixing question types—open-ended, multiple choice, Likert scales, sliders, ranking, and NPS—captures both quantitative and qualitative feedback. Careful question order, pilot testing, and avoiding common pitfalls like leading or double-barreled items ensure clarity and consistency. By following these best practices, businesses create surveys that uncover trends, measure satisfaction, and drive meaningful improvements across customer and employee experiences.