How to write a questionnaire: 12 rules for good questions

Half the work on a survey happens before you write the first question. If you are not sure what you want to find out, the questionnaire grows long, people quit halfway, and the answers never add up to a decision. These twelve rules help you avoid that.

Before you write any questions

1. Write down the goal in one sentence

For example: find out why customers do not come back after their first purchase. Every question should serve that goal. If a question is only there because it would be nice to know, cut it.

2. Decide what you will do with the answers

Picture the finished results table. What will you do if 60% say yes? And if only 20% do? If the answer would not change anything, the question is not needed.

3. Know who you are asking

A questionnaire for loyal customers looks different from one for customers you have lost. If different groups take the same survey, ask which group they belong to at the start and use branching to show each group its own questions.

Wording

4. One question, one idea

Are you happy with our prices and quality? is really two questions. Someone who likes the quality but not the prices cannot answer it honestly. Split it in two.

5. Do not lead the respondent

How much did you enjoy our convenient new website? already contains a verdict. A neutral version: How would you rate our new website?

6. Plain words, concrete options

Instead of How frequently do you procure our products? ask How often do you buy from us? Instead of regularly, offer real options: once a week, once a month, less often.

7. Handle personal questions with care

Put age, income and other sensitive questions at the end and add a Prefer not to say option. If the survey is anonymous, say so in the intro text.

Answer options

8. Options do not overlap and cover everything

18-25 and 25-35 overlap: where does a 25-year-old go? Use 18-24 and 25-34 instead. If you are not sure you have listed every possibility, add Other with a field for the answer.

9. Keep the same scale throughout

If 5 means excellent in one question and very poor in another, answers get mixed up. When several items are rated on the same scale, use a matrix: it is shorter and easier to read. Every question type is described in 15 question types.

10. Go easy on open-ended questions

Written answers are valuable, but they take effort to write and time to analyze. Keep one or two open questions where people's own words matter most, such as What should we improve first?

Length and testing

11. The shorter it is, the more people finish

Every extra question means fewer people reach the end. If you do need many questions, split the survey into pages and turn on save and continue later so people can come back to it.

12. Take the survey yourself, then give it to a colleague

Check the survey in preview on a phone, since that is where most people will answer it. Ask two or three people to take it and tell you where they hesitated. Delete their test responses from the results afterwards.

In short

• a one-sentence goal, and only the questions that serve it;
• one idea per question, with no hints;
• options that do not overlap, plus Other;
• personal questions at the end, few open questions;
• a test run on a phone and with real people.

If you would rather not start from a blank page, pick a template when you create the survey and adjust it, or look through our example surveys. The step-by-step guide is in How to create your first survey.