Whether a survey uses a best practice template as a starting point or is built from scratch, use the following guidelines to create effective and insightful questions.
Last Updated: December 3, 2024
In this article:
- Overview
- Use Specific Language
- Use Simple Language
- Use Inclusive Language
- Ask One Idea at a Time
- Avoid Asking Biased Questions
- Keep All Questions Optional
- Limit Time-Consuming Questions
- Phrase Scaled Agreement Items as Positive Statements
Overview
Whether a survey uses a best practice template as a starting point or is built from scratch, use the following guidelines to create effective and insightful questions.
Additional Resources:
- Create Survey Questions
- Designing an Employee Engagement Survey
- How to Choose the Right Question Types for a Survey
Use Specific Language
Avoid using language that is vague or open to interpretation. This can skew responses and doesn't provide meaningful insight.
Consider the following example:
Dogs are awesome.
- Participant A who loves dogs and thinks that Awesome is the most positive response might respond to a scaled question with Strongly Agree.
- Participant B might love dogs as much as Participant A but perceive Awesome as only slightly more positive than average. They could potentially respond to the scaled question with Disagree because they think dogs are spectacular.
Clearly defined questions give you more clarity around the participants' perceptions of the question and more impactful insights for you to act on.
Average: Dogs are awesome.
Effective: Dogs are superior to cats.
Use Simple Language
Language that includes complex vocabulary, non-inclusive jargon, or slang can confuse participants and distract from the essence of the question.
Writing questions at an 8th-grade reading level is generally recommended as a best practice for clear and effective survey questions. This can be helpful for respondents for whom English is a second language.
If your survey will be translated, it's important to use words and phrases that will translate well, i.e. use clear language and avoid using idioms or figures of speech.
Use Inclusive Language
The survey's language should not disrespect or dismiss an individual's identity. For example, if a survey question includes pronouns, use they/them, rather than he/him or she/her.
Avoid gender-specific terms, i.e. crewman, chairman, etc., and use gender-neutral terms instead, i.e. crewmember, chairperson, etc.
Ask One Idea at a Time
Questions that ask two things at once can be problematic as a survey question. A respondent can agree with one aspect but not the other.
These should be divided into individual questions and ask one idea at a time. Additionally, individualized questions improve the utility of survey analytics.
Average: Dogs and cats are great family pets.
Effective: (1) Dogs are great family pets. (2) Cats are great familiy pets.
Avoid Asking Biased Questions
Survey questions should not have a secondary or underlying motive. Use clear language to encourage respondents to provide their honest opinions and feedback.
Average: We love dogs! Do you agree dogs should be allowed in the office?
Effective: Do you believe dogs should be allowed in the office?
Keep All Questions Optional
Mandatory questions can frustrate survey participants and result in poor and skewed data.
Keep questions optional and allow respondents to skip questions they don't feel appropriate or equipped to answer.
Limit Time-Consuming Questions
Ranked questions and open-ended questions can produce valuable insights but require more time from survey participants when compared to scaled or multi-choice questions. This can cause respondents to opt out before completing the survey.
Prioritize scaled questions for quick responses and limit your survey to 1-3 other question types.
Phrase Scaled Agreement Questions as Positive Statements
To encourage respondents to respond with Agree or Strongly Agree, phrase scaled agreement questions as a positive statement. This results in more clarity and more insightful data.
Average: I do not feel like I can depend on the other members of my team.
Effective: I know I can depend on the other members of my team.