Survey questions are a powerful tool when used appropriately. In this article, we’ll walk you through each survey question type, including how it works, when to use it, and what it looks like in your Results Dashboard, and we’ll provide you with a few examples.
For an in-depth article on how to add survey questions to your Exchange or survey, click here.
Your account settings determine the maximum number of questions you can ask. Each question can include up to 100 response options (except for Dropdown type questions, which allow up to 600 response options).
For a deeper dive on analyzing the data from your survey questions, click here.
Topics
How it works
The Topics feature offers an easy way to group related questions into a single section. This helps keep your survey organized, makes analyzing your results easier, and helps participants move through the survey by breaking up the larger question list into smaller chunks.
Topics allow you to group related survey questions together and include a header and introduction text for each section.
When to use it
Use topics when you want to present a set of related questions together. This is especially helpful when you have a long list of survey questions.
Results
Survey questions that have been assigned to a topic will be tagged with the topic name in the Results Dashboard.
Single Select
How it works
Single select questions are the most basic type of survey question. Leaders can pose a question with up to 100 possible answers, from which participants choose one. These questions can also include an “Other (please specify)” option wherein participants can write an answer up to 120 characters long.
We’ve made it easy for leaders to upload batches of responses all at once. Simply copy and paste responses from a csv or text file into the “Bulk answers” dialogue box.
When to use it
Single select questions are a great option when presenting participants with a short list of possible responses. Keep in mind that participants can only choose a single response, so frame your questions accordingly. If you would like participants to be able to select multiple answers, the multiple select style question is what you need.
Results
Single select questions are displayed in a horizontal bar chart format in Results.
In an Exchange, leaders can click on any of the bars to view a list of the thoughts that group rated, shown in order of highest to lowest average rating.
NOTE: If an answer option has fewer than five participants who selected that choice, the list of thoughts they rated will be hidden to protect their anonymity.
Example questions taken from an HR survey:
- What is your current job title? (entry-level employee, manager, senior manager, executive, etc.)
- How long have you been with the company? (less than 1 year, 1-3 years, 4-6 years, 7-10 years, more than 10 years)
- What is your gender? (male, female, non-binary, prefer not to say)
- What is your age range? (18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65+)
- What is your race/ethnicity? (White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, etc.)
Example questions taken from a school survey:
- What is your role in the school? (student, parent, staff member)
- What grade is your child in? (K-5, 6-8, 9-12)
- How long have you been associated with the school? (less than 1 year, 1-3 years, 4-6 years, 7-10 years, more than 10 years)
- What is your race/ethnicity? (White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, etc.)
- What is your primary language spoken at home? (English, Spanish, Mandarin, etc.)
Multiple Select
How it works
Multiple select questions allow participants to select more than one response from a list of up to 100 options provided by the Exchange leader. These questions can also include an “Other (please specify)” option wherein participants can write their own answers up to 120 characters long.
We’ve made it easy for leaders to upload batches of responses all at once. Simply copy and paste responses from a csv or text file into the “Bulk answers” dialogue box.
When to use it
Use a multiple select style question when more than one of the responses you’ve provided could apply to a single participant (ex. “Which of the following professional development opportunities have you taken advantage of in the past year?”)
Results
Multiple select type survey questions are displayed in a horizontal bar chart format in Results.
NOTE: Due to participants being allowed to select more than one answer option, it is likely the percentages of each bar will add up to greater than 100%.
In an Exchange, leaders can click on any of the bars to view a list of the thoughts that group rated, shown in order of highest to lowest average rating.
NOTE: If an answer option has fewer than five participants who selected that choice, the list of thoughts they rated will be hidden to protect their anonymity.
Examples taken from an HR survey:
- What languages do you speak fluently? (English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, etc.)
- What are your areas of expertise or certifications? (Project management, Six Sigma, Scrum, Human Resources, ITIL, etc.)
- What is your preferred work schedule? (Full-time, Part-time, Flexible hours, Remote work, Shift work)
Examples taken from a school survey:
- What are your children's grade levels in this school? (Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, etc.)
- What are the subjects you teach? (Math, Science, English, Social Studies, Physical Education, Music, etc.)
- What are your primary ways of staying informed about the school? (Email, Website, Parent-teacher meetings, Newsletters, Social media, etc.)
Dropdown
How it works
Dropdown questions are the best option when your single select question has too many options to display conveniently for your participants. These questions work just like single select questions. Participants must choose a single answer from a list of up to 600, but the options appear in a dropdown format.
Since these questions are geared to handle long lists of responses, we’ve made it easy for leaders to upload batches of responses all at once. Simply copy and paste responses from a csv or text file into the “Bulk answers” dialogue box.
Note: The ‘Bulk answers’ upload option is only available when questions are first created. Once the Exchange has been saved or launched, this option is no longer available.
When to use it
Fairly straightforward: use this question option whenever you would use a single select question if you feel the list of responses would be a bit too much to display all at once on a participant’s screen.
Results
Dropdown type survey questions are displayed in a horizontal bar chart format in Results.
In an Exchange, leaders can click on any of the bars to view a list of the thoughts that group rated, shown in order of highest to lowest average rating.
NOTE: If an answer option has fewer than five participants who selected that choice, the list of thoughts they rated will be hidden to protect their anonymity.
Examples:
- Which country were you born in?
- What is your primary language?
- What is your job title?
Ranking
How it works
With the Ranking survey question type, you can ask participants to rank their answers from most important to least important priority. Users are able to organize their choices by easily dragging and dropping from the list of answer options, from highest preference to lowest.
Ranking Survey Question Type quick guide
When to use it
The Ranking question type is ideal for understanding participants' priorities. It prompts them to arrange answer options from highest to lowest priority by dragging and dropping. This feature is particularly useful for close-ended lists of 6-10 options, as it aims to not only reduce participant fatigue but also to improve response time and quality.
Results
In Results, the responses to the ranking questions type show as a card. A Ranking question card shows a list of answer choices. Each list row contains:
- Title (what the choice is about).
- The average ranking it got from everyone who answered the question.
- The average ranking is rounded to the second decimal place (e.g. 2.75, 4.68, etc.) and is rounded up or down depending on the value of the 3rd decimal (e.g. 2.754→2.75, 4.676→4.68)
- The overall ranking, which arranges all choices based on their average rankings
If two or more choices have the same average ranking, they receive the same overall ranking. In such cases, the next rank is skipped to keep each rank remains unique, even when choices are equally effective.
Examples:
- Rank the following budget priorities for our school district from 1 to 5, with 1 being the highest priority and 5 being the lowest priority
- Please rank the following improvements based on their importance to you
- Prioritize the following course topics from most important to least important
Likert Scale
How it works
Likert scale questions are a staple of all types of research. Likert scale questions ask respondents to rate a statement on a 5-point scale indicating agreement, likeliness, etc. There are two types of Likert scale questions available: ‘Likert scale text’ and ‘Likert scale numbers’.
Likert scale text: the scale is preset to strongly disagree through to strongly agree, and you can edit the scale options as needed. If you would like to ask a Likert-style question with greater or fewer than five responses, use the + and - symbols to the right of the answer options to add or remove them.
Likert scale numbers: the scale is preset as a 1-5 scale where 1 represents ‘Not at all likely’ and 5 represents ‘Extremely likely’. Both the labels and the numeric max can be edited. The numeric max is also editable from 2 to 10.
You can select favorability settings for results by configuring which answer options represent ‘favorable’ responses. You can either do this in
a) the Survey Questions Creation step:
-
by selecting favorable answers from the dropdown
or
b) in the Survey Responses tab of your survey results (this can only be done after the survey has been launched and you have gotten participation data):
When to use it
Likert scale questions are generally catered towards opinion based questions or statements and work best when assessing responses based on variables, e.g. sentiment, quality, importance, likelihood, etc. They are particularly useful when paired with satisfaction score questions, as you can use them to better understand why a certain satisfaction score was selected. Learn more here.
Results
In Results, Likert scale type survey questions are shown in two ways:
- The default view is a horizontal bar chart accompanied by a configurable favorability score.
- Leaders can also choose to view these results as a pie chart, also accompanied by a configurable favorability score.
To configure the favorability score, click on the drop down on the right hand side titled ‘Select favorable answers’, then check the appropriate answer options.
In an Exchange, leaders can click on any of the bars or pie slices to view a list of the thoughts that group rated, shown in order of highest to lowest average rating.
NOTE: If an answer option has fewer than five participants who selected that choice, the list of thoughts they rated will be hidden to protect their anonymity.
Examples taken from an HR survey:
- I feel valued and recognized for my contributions at this company. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
- I have the resources and support I need to perform my job effectively. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
- My manager provides regular and meaningful feedback. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
- I have opportunities for growth and development within the company. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
- The company fosters a positive and inclusive work culture. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
Examples taken from a school survey:
- I feel safe and secure at this school. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
- The school provides a challenging and engaging curriculum. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
- Students receive adequate support for their learning needs. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
- The school effectively communicates with parents/guardians, students and staff. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
- The school provides a positive and inclusive environment. (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree)
Satisfaction Score
How it works
Satisfaction score questions are standardized questions used to get a high-level view of participants’ overall satisfaction and always have a 0-10 point scale. Leaders can customize the question and response labels but can’t add or subtract options. Responses are grouped into categories and an overall score is calculated (learn more here).
When to use it
We recommend using only one satisfaction score question per engagement. Ask your participants this type of question to measure the likelihood that they would speak positively about your organization, their experience, or the service you provide. We'll calculate your score automatically when you analyze your results.
This question type is most valuable when paired with Likert scale questions. First, ask a satisfaction score question to obtain an overall score or grade on your performance (the output). Second, use Likert scale questions to better understand participants’ opinion on themes that influence participant satisfaction (inputs). In an Exchange, the analysis of thought rating patterns for each score is another highly effective way to understand each group’s opinions.
Note: if you find you are editing the satisfaction score question so it no longer uses the word ‘recommend’, you may find more success building your question as a Likert scale numbers type question. Likert scale survey questions include an automatic ‘favorability score’ calculation in your Results.
Results
Satisfaction score type survey questions are displayed as a vertical bar chart accompanied by a score that can range from -100 (bad) to 100 (good).
The individual participant responses are grouped into three categories. Answers between 1 and 6 are considered to be ‘Dissatisfied’, 7-8 are ‘Passive’, and 9-10 are ‘Satisfied’. A satisfaction score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Dissatisfied participants from the percentage of Satisfied participants.
Satisfied - Dissatisfied = Satisfaction Score
In an Exchange, leaders can click on any of the bars to view a list of the thoughts that group rated, shown in order of highest to lowest average rating.
NOTE: If an answer option has fewer than five participants who selected that choice, the list of thoughts they rated will be hidden to protect their anonymity.
Examples:
- On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this company as a great place to work to a friend or colleague? (0 being not at all likely, 10 being extremely likely)
- On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this school to a friend or colleague? (0 being not at all likely, 10 being extremely likely)
Comment Box
How it works
Comment box questions allow participants to respond to an open-eneded question in their own words. Responses have a 1000-character limit.
When to use it
Comment box questions are great for when you want to hear from participants in their own words to better understand their perspectives. These types of questions can help in brainstorming solutions to a problem or to evaluate the current understanding of an issue within the community.
Results
In Results, comment box type survey questions are displayed in two ways:
- The default view is a clickable wordcloud
- Leaders can also choose to view comment box responses as a list
When viewing the comment box responses, clicking ‘Export’ on that particular question results in a .png of the wordcloud. To obtain a .csv list of the individual responses, click ‘Export as CSV’ at the top of the Survey Analysis page.
NOTE: Comment boxes are not included in Interactive Web Reports or Slides
Example questions taken from an HR survey:
- What ideas do you have to improve the facilities in our office?
- What professional development opportunities have you completed in the past year?
Example questions taken from a school survey:
- What kinds of electives would you like to see offered next year?
- How would you describe the culture in our schools?
- What can we do to better provide safe spaces for students?
Note: Comment boxes are not intended for capturing Personal Identifiable Information (PII) in surveys.
It's also worth noting that individual responses from a comment box cannot be used as filters in Results. To ensure data security, we recommend using the Contact information feature, which is purpose-built for collecting participants’ contact information securely. You can find the contact information feature in your engagement settings.
Additionally, contact boxes are not ideal for collecting demographic information. If that is your intent, we recommend using the single select, multiple select, or dropdown options. These approaches safeguard data integrity and drastically improve the efficiency in capturing the information you are looking for.
For collecting PII in order to more deeply understand how individual participants are responding to your questions, we provide options for enhanced privacy settings. Learn more about anonymous and confidential engagements here.
Deep Dive
How it works
Deep Dive questions take the comment box question style to the next level. This question type allows leaders to ask one to six comment box style questions presented together under an optional description of the survey section they form.
Participants respond to each question and are then presented with an AI-generated summary of their responses describing their overall perspective.
When to use it
Deep dive questions are a great option when you have a series of related comment-box style questions that you would like to ask participants about individually.
This question type offers an opportunity for participants to express themselves candidly and have their answers reflected back to them via the AI generated summary.
Results
Deep dive questions are displayed in two ways:
- The default view is a clickable wordcloud
- Leaders can also choose to view comment box responses as a list
When viewing the deep dive responses, clicking ‘Export’ on that particular question results in a .png of the wordcloud. To obtain a .csv list of the individual responses, click ‘Export as CSV’ at the top of the Survey Analysis page.
NOTE: Deep dive survey questions are not included in Interactive Web Reports or Slides
Our updated versions of Advisor and Article are two AI-powered features within the Results dashboard that provide you with user-friendly ways to analyze data and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the results from your comment box and deep dive questions.
Survey Question Matrix
Survey fatigue is a real thing, so making things easier on your participants wherever possible is an important best practice.
How it works
Survey question matrix allows you to display multiple questions to your participants at the same time (provided they are the same question type with the same response options) and lets them respond to each one quickly without any unnecessary clicks or scrolling.
Questions are presented together in a table:
When to use it
Matrix question types are ideal for when you are asking a series of related questions that are all of the same type with the same answer options. Rather than presenting each question separately to the participant, they are grouped in a table which makes answering these questions much more convenient.
Results
Just as matrix questions offer a convenient format for the participant, these question types offer a convenient presentation for the leader in Results as well.
In Results, matrix type survey questions are displayed in two layers:
- The first layer presents all of the questions of the matrix in a horizontal bar chart
- Clicking on any of the questions opens up an individual view of that particular one
In this example, we see a matrix view of 5 Likert score questions:
And the view when clicking on one of the individual questions of the matrix:
Still have questions? We’re happy to help! Drop us a line at help@thoughtexchange.com.