Survey questions: examples and types

Choosing the right question type is a fundament of a successful survey.
Survey questions

Survey tool trusted by the brands that you know

  1. Red bull
  2. Schindler
  3. Bayer
  4. Booksy
  5. KraftHeinz
  6. Danone
Example of Rating question type

Types of questions in the survey

Questions impact the success of the survey. We create questions for the survey, starting with selecting the question type. The question type has two characteristics: the form of introduction and presentation. Depending on the needs, we select the appropriate type.

Survey questions can use either a closed-ended or open-ended format to collect answers from individuals. And you can use them to gather feedback from a host of different audiences, including your customers and colleagues.

The online survey has changed the perception of survey questions. A different way of displaying and responding meant that the traditional paper surveys were put aside. The new online forms opened a wide path of possibilities to improve the survey filling process. Questionnaires are no longer black and white printouts but color elements the respondent interactions with.

The distractions we observe today make the time spent on filling out questionnaires and forms very short.  A variety of questions is needed to conduct a good survey. 

Responsly platform has 25+ types of questions. Such a selection of questions allows you to conduct even the most advanced research.

  • Multiple Choice

    Multiple Choice questions provides respondents with a list of options, and they can select single or multiple answers based on their preferences. It's also know as a Close-ended questions.

    ➡️ Clearly indicate to respondents that they can select multiple answers.

    ➡️ Consider limiting the minimum and maximum number of options that can be selected.

  • Open Ended

    These questions allow respondents to provide detailed, free-form responses. They're perfect for capturing rich, qualitative insights and uncovering valuable perspectives from your audience. Example: "What features would you like to see in our upcoming product release?"

    ➡️ Keep the questions clear and specific to elicit relevant responses.

    ➡️ Avoid asking too many open-ended questions in a single survey to prevent respondent fatigue.

    ➡️ Analyze and categorize the responses systematically to derive meaningful conclusions.

  • Linkert scale

    A general question is a Likert scale. It is a choice of 5 answers with one central and two extremes. We recommend our Graphical Assessment questions. Questions with answers are presented in the form of smileys and animated emoticons.

  • Picture Choice

    Picture choice questions use visual elements or images as answer options. These are particularly useful when dealing with audiences who may have language barriers or when exploring visual preferences.

  • Yes/No

    If you expect a yes / no answer, ask the respondent in a better way. With the Yes / No question, you can add a graphic question with icons corresponding to the Yes or No answers. This type of question is very readable for the recipient and will make your survey get more answers.

  • Dropdown

    Presents a list of options in a dropdown menu, and respondents can select one choice from the list.

  • Rating

    Asks respondents to rate something on a scale, usually ranging from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10. Great for Likert scale questions.

  • Smiley Rating

    Uses smiley faces to represent different levels of satisfaction or emotions, and respondents choose the appropriate smiley.

  • Opinion Scale

    Net Promoter Score (NPS) questions measure customer loyalty and satisfaction by asking respondents to rate their likelihood of recommending a product or service.

  • Legal Note

    Presents respondents with a legal statement or agreement that they need to read and accept before proceeding.

  • File Upload

    Allows respondents to upload files, such as documents, images, or videos.

  • Email

    Asks respondents to enter their email addresses for communication or verification purposes.

  • Number

    Requests respondents to provide a numeric value as their response.

  • Date

    Asks respondents to select or enter a date using a date picker.

  • Website

    Requests respondents to enter a website URL.

  • Phone Number

    Asks respondents to enter their phone numbers for contact purposes.

  • Matrix

    Organizes questions and options in a grid format, allowing respondents to provide multiple responses at once.

  • Numbers Scale

    Asks respondents to rate their response using a numeric scale.

  • Semantic Differential

    Asks respondents to rate a concept or item based on a series of bipolar adjectives or phrases.

  • Demographic questions

    It is used to collect information about socio-demographic characteristics. Collecting such data allows you to understand your audience better and the answers they gave. Easy to fill in the certificate is the key to the success of your research. Interests have predefined numbering questions.

  • Ranking

    With the help of a ranking question, you can define the preferences of your survey participants by arranging specific properties in your preferred order. This order is effortless to arrange by using the drag-and-drop method, in which the selected properties are transferred to the order area with one click of the mouse. Individual properties can still be adjusted in order of precedence in the classification area. This method is easy and ergonomic to use by survey participants and thus dramatically increases the response rate. In the Analysis section, an average ranking is calculated for each answer choice, allowing you to quickly evaluate the most preferred answer choice.

  • Slider

    Sliders are an engaging and interactive type of survey question. How it’s working? The respondent clicks a button and drags or moves it along a horizontal line, indicating his positive or negative feelings about a specific statement or question.

    You can use a slider question as a more interactive alternative to the matrix table question. Instead of simply selecting a scale point, respondents drag the bar to indicate their preference level.

    ➡️ Use a straightforward and easy-to-understand scale. Label the endpoints of the slider clearly to indicate the minimum and maximum values.

    ➡️ Avoid using too many sliders in a single survey to prevent respondent fatigue.

    ➡️ Provide clear statements or questions that correspond to the slider's purpose. This helps respondents provide accurate and meaningful responses.

  • Constant Sum (Distribution of points)

    The breakdown of points is handy when the respondent has to assign an appropriate value to a given question or statement. The survey owner can assign points within one scale and set the total sum of points assigned for all questions asked.

    ➡️ Provide clear instructions on how respondents should distribute their points.

    ➡️ Set a specific total sum of points for all questions to ensure a fair and consistent distribution.

    ➡️ Conduct a pretest to ensure that the distribution of points accurately reflects the respondents' intended preferences.

  • Form Group

    Combines multiple related questions into a single group, often used for demographic information.

  • Signature

    Allows respondents to provide their digital signatures as a form of agreement or verification.

An example of a question with the use of a semantic differential

Semantic differential question type

The semantic differential is mainly used in questionnaires and surveys to obtain an emotional response or attitude from people to a specific topic and allow customers to evaluate products, services, brands, or organizations.

Typically a semantic differential is a grading scale that begins and ends with rating options that are semantically opposite (usually polar adjectives such as “like-not-like,” “satisfied-dissatisfied,” and “would not recommend”) and may include varying degrees of these options in between.

  • 62%

    62% of our surveys are opened on mobile devices. Responsly forms are well optimized for phones and tablets.

  • 2x

    Responsly get 2x more answers than other popular tools on the market.

  • 98%

    Responsly service get an average satisfaction score of 98%

Survey questions for customers

Customer surveys are the most direct way to gather constructive feedback from the people who know the most about the strengths and weaknesses of your products and services.

Here is a list of 10 customer feedback questions we recommend you use to get closer to your customers and their needs:

  1. How would you describe yourself in one sentence?
  2. What is your main goal for using this website/product?
  3. What, if anything, is preventing you from achieving that goal?
  4. What is your most significant concern about [product/brand]?
  5. What changed for you after you started using our product?
  6. How would you describe the buying experience?
  7. Do you feel our [product or service] is worth the cost?
  8. What convinced you to buy the product?
  9. What challenges are you trying to solve?
  10. What’s the ONE thing our website is missing

First of all, you can’t help your customers if you don’t know who they are and what they want in the first place. Asking your customers about themselves helps you gather psychographic data that can be used to create user personas: semi-fictional characters based on the real people who use your product.

Customer Satisfaction Survey Example

Survey questions for employees

Employee surveys are integral elements of getting employee feedback to gain perspective on work culture, immediate superiors, and elements that motivate or demotivate employees in the workplace.

  • Employee Survey Questions About Personal Growth

    1. What are your career goals? 
    2. Have you interviewed for another job in the past two months?
    3. Have you accomplished any career goals in the last six months? If so, please write them down.
    4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how challenged are you daily at work?
    5. What motivates you to go above and beyond at work? Please name three motivation triggers that work for you.

  • Employee Questions About the Company

    1. If you were to leave this organization tomorrow, what would the reason(s) be? Please explain in detail.
    2. If you were to leave this organization tomorrow, what would the reason(s) be? Please explain in detail.
    3. Without looking anywhere else, please recite our organizational values.
    4. Are you proud to work for our organization? (Yes/No) Why?
    5. If your organization had a theme song, what would it be and why?

  • Employee Questions About Management Efficiency

    1. Has a manager given you any recognition in the past month? How frequently are they doing it?
    2. How cohesive is the management team on a scale of 1 to 10?
    3. On a scale of 1 to 10, how respected do you feel by your direct supervisor?
    4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how transparent is the management team?
    5. Name three processes that we can improve here and explain how (feel free to add more).

  • Employee Questions About Work Environment

    1. Name three perks you liked best about your previous employer. Explain why you liked them.
    2. On a scale of 1 to 10, how connected do you feel with your coworkers?
    3. Describe our culture in one word. Add an explanation.
    4. On a scale of 1 to 10, rate your onboarding experience. Explain your score.
    5. Do you have the resources you need to be successful?

Survey questions after the event

Event and conference surveys are a great way to capture attendee feedback after the big day is over. 

90% of virtual event organizers use surveys to measure attendee satisfaction. And 80% reported that attendee engagement and satisfaction were KPIs used for measuring event success.

Below, let’s review the best post-event survey questions to ask.

  1. How satisfied were you with the event?
  2. Why did you attend this event?
  3. How did you hear about this event?
  4. Would you want to attend this event again in the future?
  5. Have you attended our other events before?
  6. What were your favorite virtual features?
  7. How easy to navigate was the platform for the event?
  8. How relevant was the plan?
  9. How would you rate the speakers?
  10. Was the venue accessible?
Survey after the event

Survey questions for online sellers

Know what your buyers feel and gain actionable insights with eCommerce survey questions to increase your sales. The best way to boost the conversion rate is to ask your customers, ‘How can we improve it?’ Design their online shopping experience such that they feel driven to purchase again. Analyzing the data will help you decide if the product quality needs improvement or website navigation needs. Collecting data through a survey questionnaire enables you to make decisions based on customers’ opinions.

  • General overview

    Likely, many customers would not like to answer your website survey. However, try to get minimum possible feedback even from such visitors. Ask a simple Net Promoter Score (NPS) question on how likely they will recommend your website to others.

    1. Considering your complete experience with our company, how likely would you be to recommend us to a friend or colleague?

    Below are some of the general questions for your survey:

    1. How satisfied did you feel based on your overall experience?
    2. On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend us to your friend or colleague?
    3. Please let us know how we can improve your experience.

    Website

    The website is an inevitable component of an online business. It is essential to know what your visitors think about your site.

    1. How did you learn about our website?
    2. What were you looking for?
    3. Did you get what you were looking for?
    4. Are you going to return later?
    5. What led you to visit our website?
    6. How easy was it to navigate through the site?

    Product reviews and ratings

    Many customers make purchase decisions based on product ratings. See if your customers are satisfied with the number of reviews per product.

    1. On a scale of 0-10, how much do you trust the product reviews?
    2. How helpful do you find ratings while making a purchase decision?
    3. On a scale of 0-10, how much does an overall product rating affect your purchase decision?
  • Post-Purchase survey questions

    Learn more about their experience at various touchpoints and find ways to boost your sales.

    1. How satisfied are you with the quality of products?
    2. How do you rate the quality of our products as compared to our competitors?
    3. How satisfied are you with the availability of products?

    Shipping

    Learn more about their experience at various touchpoints and find ways to boost your sales.

    1. How satisfied are you with the quality of products?
    2. How do you rate the quality of our products as compared to our competitors?
    3. How satisfied are you with the availability of products?

    Customer support

    The customer support team can leave a long-lasting impression on your customers. Know if your staff was polite and friendly to them.

    1. On a scale of 1-10, how was your experience with the customer support executive?
    2. Did the customer executive solve your query?
    3. How helpful was the customer support staff?

    Asking too many questions to your customers might demotivate them from responding to your eCommerce survey. So, ask questions randomly to your sample audience. Keep a mix of different types of questions. The survey should have the right proportion of multiple-choice questions, open-ended questions, and closed-ended questions.

  • Employee Questions About Management Efficiency

    1. Has a manager given you any recognition in the past month? How frequently are they doing it?
    2. How cohesive is the management team on a scale of 1 to 10?
    3. On a scale of 1 to 10, how respected do you feel by your direct supervisor?
    4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how transparent is the management team?
    5. Name three processes that we can improve here and explain how (feel free to add more).

  • Employee Questions About Work Environment

    1. Name three perks you liked best about your previous employer. Explain why you liked them.
    2. On a scale of 1 to 10, how connected do you feel with your coworkers?
    3. Describe our culture in one word. Add an explanation.
    4. On a scale of 1 to 10, rate your onboarding experience. Explain your score.
    5. Do you have the resources you need to be successful?

Ready to use our great question types to do your next survey?

You can use our database of ready-made survey examples.

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Responsly Employee Experience platform helps us to manage employee satisfaction and communication within our organization.

Alicja Zborowska, Administration Specialist

Red bull
Bayer

We automated the product experience managment process.

KraftHeinz

Managing customer experience is made easy with Responsly.

Danone

Our suppliers are surveyed quickly and efficiently.

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