When conducting a poll or survey, coming up with good questions to ask is crucial for getting meaningful results. The questions need to be clear, concise and yield the type of information you hope to gather from respondents. Here are some tips for creating good poll/survey questions:
Keep it Simple
Avoid complex questions that use double negatives or may confuse respondents. Keep the wording straightforward and easy to understand. For example, “Do you support or oppose the new healthcare legislation?” is better than “To what extent do you disagree with the opposition to the new healthcare legislation?”
Be Specific
Narrow the focus of questions to gather more useful data. Asking “What do you think about the economy?” is very broad. Asking “How satisfied are you with the current unemployment rate?” is more specific.
Use Neutral Wording
Avoid loaded questions that influence the response. For instance, “Don’t you agree that the new tax plan unfairly favors the wealthy?” could skew results compared to the more neutral “What is your view of the new tax plan?”
Consider the Response Format
Multiple choice, rating scales, open-ended questions etc. all have pros and cons. Select options that will yield the most appropriate data format for analysis. For rating scales, use balanced scales with equal numbers of positive and negative choices.
Check for Clarity
Before administering your poll/survey, test it out on a small group and ask for feedback. Check if there is any language that is unclear or any questions that people are unsure how to answer.
Types of Poll/Survey Questions
Here are some of the most common types of poll/survey questions:
Demographic Questions
These gather data about the characteristics of respondents, such as age, gender, income level, location, etc. They are usually used to analyze and compare results from different demographics.
Behavior Questions
These ask about people’s behaviors, such as their purchasing decisions, voting patterns, lifestyle choices, etc. For example, “How often do you use ride-sharing apps like Uber?”
Opinion/Attitude Questions
These gather data on what people think about a particular issue, product, politician, etc. “On a scale of 1-5, how satisfied are you with the customer service you receive from Company X?”
Knowledge Questions
These test a respondent’s knowledge about a topic and are often used for surveys about consumer awareness. “Do you know the signs of a stroke?”
Branding/Advertising Questions
These assess brand awareness or people’s response to ad campaigns. “Which brand of toothpaste do you currently use?”
Poll/Survey Question Examples
Here are some example poll/survey questions for different contexts:
Politics
- Who do you plan on voting for in the upcoming election?
- How satisfied are you with the president’s performance so far?
- What issue is most important to you this election cycle?
Community Issues
- On a scale of 1-5, how safe do you feel in your neighborhood after dark?
- What do you think is the most important issue facing our city right now?
- Would you support a new property tax to fund city parks?
Customer/Employee Satisfaction
- On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend our product to friends and family?
- How satisfied are you with your current salary and benefits package?
- What can we do to improve our customer service?
Product/Concept Testing
- On a scale of 1-5, how likely would you be to purchase our new chorizo burrito?
- After viewing our commercial, do you have a more positive or negative impression of our brand?
- Would you be interested in a smart watch with a 5-day battery life?
Website/App Testing
- On a scale of 1-10, how easy was it to complete your purchase on our website?
- What features would you most like to see added to our app?
- Was the checkout process intuitive or confusing?
Tailor your survey questions to your specific goals and remember to keep it simple, neutral and focused. Proper question wording is key to yielding actionable data.
Best Practices for Asking Open-Ended Poll/Survey Questions
Open-ended questions allow respondents to answer in their own words without selecting from predetermined options. Here are some best practices:
- Word the question carefully – Avoid overly broad or vague questions.
- Specify any guidelines – For example, indicate if there is a word/character count limit.
- Use open-ended questions sparingly – They require more effort to analyze than closed-ended questions.
- Make open-ended questions optional – Respondents may skip them if they require too much writing.
- Use them when you want more detail – For example, feedback, explanations, anecdotes etc.
- Place them at the end – After closed-ended questions to avoid survey fatigue.
Examples of effective open-ended survey questions:
- Why did you choose to purchase from our brand over other competitors?
- In your own words, how would you describe our company culture?
- What ideas do you have for new features we could add to improve our product?
- Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience with us?
Conclusion
Writing good poll and survey questions takes effort but yields better results. Ensure questions are clear, specific, neutrally worded, and appropriate for extracting the data you need. Test them prior to surveying a larger population. Use a mix of closed and open-ended questions tailored to your goals. Careful question wording leads to higher quality responses.