When fielding a survey, understanding what you are going to ask a respondent participant is just as important as how you choose to ask it. Without utilizing the correct question type, answers given by participants could be skewed and, therefore, yield inaccurate data.

So, where do you begin in deciding how to organize what you want to ask? A good first step is having a solid understanding of the types of survey questions that are out there, and also what they are best used for.

In no particular order, here are the 8 most common types of survey questions fielded to Research Now’s global panelists:

1. Open-ends

Open-ended questions do not offer answer choices and typically begin with ‘what’ or ‘why.’ They are designed to elicit an instinctive response and provide qualitative information.

2. Single-select

Single-select questions ask participants to select one of the preconfigured options provided. Because these types of questions offer a limited number of responses from which the participant can choose from, they are known as “closed” or “force-choiced” questions. They are best used for particular purposes and require the analyst to interpret the data in distinct ways.

3. Multi-select

Similar to single-select, multi-select questions instead ask participants to select all of the options that apply, typically using checkbox options. The survey taker still has set answer choices, but is able to select more than one option.

It is important to clearly relay to the participant that they are able to select more than one option at a time. Often times, they are limited to selecting a particular number of choices – the most common restriction, according to the number of answer options, is around 3.

4. Grids

Grid layout questions can be effective if reasonable in size. The ideal number of scale points for a mobile survey is up to 5, where the scale is vertical or horizontal. Large grids, however, can be cumbersome for participants regardless of the device.

The result of participant experience with surveys containing large grids can be frustration, higher dropout rates, and compromised data quality.

5. Likert Scale

The Likert Scale is the most widely used approach to scaling responses in survey research. When responding to a Likert questionnaire item, participants specify their level of agreement or disagreement on a symmetric agree-disagree scale for a series of statements. Thus, the range captures the intensity of their feelings for a given item.

Scales should be clearly defined (1 to 5 with an indication of what each anchor represents or with text). The positive ends of scales should be the highest number and negative ends the lowest number. Exception: Negative attribute/questions such as “I think my power company’s rates are too expensive.”

6. Ranking

Ranking questions ask participants to compare different objects directly to one another.

7. Rating

Rating questions ask participants to compare different items using a common scale.

8. Advanced Methodologies:

Conjoint/Discrete choice

Conjoint (trade-off) analysis/Discrete choice analysis allows participants to evaluate potential product profiles, with each profile (sometimes in the form of a concept/image) including multiple conjoined product features (size, color, speed, delivery time, price, etc.). Survey takers typically complete 12 to 30 conjoint (trade-off) questions.

MaxDiff

MaxDiff is an alternative to ranking, in which participants consider four or five items and are asked to choose which is most preferred and which is least preferred. Participants typically measure 10-12 such sets.

Heat Maps and Hot Spots

Heat Maps and Hot Spots allow participants to highlight or select any area or pre-selected areas of a concept or image. Hot Spot questions can be used to gather feedback on images. With this question type, the survey taker is presented with an image that has predefined regions to select from.

It is also important to remember, in addition to what you want to ask, to clearly define who you want to reach when fielding a survey. Screening questions, or questions that determine who is (and isn’t) the right fit for a particular survey study, are typically placed at the beginning of fielded surveys to filter who is able to continue to take the survey.

To better understand how to create screening questions or to learn more about the best practices when using them, read our blog on the 10 Best Practices in Survey Screening.