DEFINITION

• Survey research involves the

collection of information from a
sample of individuals through their
responses to questions.
• Surveys are the most popular form
of social research because of
these three features: versatility,
efficiency, and generalizability.
• Each of these features is changing
as a result of new technologies
THREE FEATURES
THREE FEATURES
THREE FEATURES
THE OMNIBUS SURVEY
THE OMNIBUS SURVEY
3 Common Errors in the Research Process
3 Common Errors in the Research Process
3 Common Errors in the Research Process
3 Common Errors in the Research Process
the Right Survey
Questions
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions

Keep your survey questions simple and clear

Keep your sentences short, to the point and easy to understand. Don’t ask
multi layered or double barreled questions because they're generally harder
to answer. Remember, answering your survey should be effortless if you want
it to happen at all.

Try to refrain from over-complicating a question and using several sentences

to ask it. Use language that you’d use if you were asking them in person.
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions

Keep your survey questions simple and clear

An example:
“Rate our software out of 10” compared to “What are your thoughts on using our software? Is it
easy to use and do you find it useful?”

They both say the same thing but one is longer than it needs to be. The second has three
questions in one that basically all mean the same thing. The customers has to try and think about
three things in one go. It doesn't need to be this complicated. Straight to the point questions will
lead to straight to the point answers.
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions

Don’t be so formal

Simpler is better and that goes for the language you use as much as
how you structure your questions.

Most people respond better to more casual and conversational

language. It’s easier to understand and not so off-putting.
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions

Don’t be so formal

An example:
“What do you like about us?” Is less formal than “What opinions do you have about of
the services we provide and their effectiveness in helping your business increase
conversion rates?”

There's nothing inherently wrong with the second question, but it'll make the customer
feel like they're in a business meeting. You may not get to the bottom of how they
actually feel about your goods/services.
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions

Inject some personality in

If it matches your tone and the industry you’re working in, don’t be afraid to inject a bit
of personality into your survey.

While slang and colloquialisms may alienate some users, using casual phrases that
make your brand look more fun and easy to relate to can do wonders.

This helps users feel like a real person is talking to them and actually considering
their opinions. They're more likely to want to respond to questions like this.
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions

Make sure your questions aren’t too similar

To stop your customer from getting fed up, it is important that you dont
look like you’re asking the same question over and over again. Nothing
looks more robotic than questions that are very repetitive.
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions

Make sure your questions aren’t too similar

For example:

“What do you think of our customer service?” “What do you think of our product?”
“What do you think of our support” and so on.

People get bored reading the same thing over and over again. Try to keep things
fresh and interesting and you’re much more likely to get full, accurate answers to your
questions.
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions

Experiment with different answer options

Another way to ensure that your questionnaire doesn't

end up boring users is to mix up your answer types.

That means using a mixture of multiple choice questions,

scale questions with interesting rating scales and closed
end questions - all of which are easy to answer quickly.
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions

Don’t force them to answer every question

Want to make sure users make it through to the

end of a survey? Giving them questions with a
"prefer not to answer" option can reduce the
amount of people who abandon the survey
halfway through.
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions

Be sure to say thank you

When it comes to the end of the survey, a little thank you can go a long way.

Your customer has taken time out of their day and given you important
information, so make sure you thank them for their time. This especially goes
for customer satisfaction surveys. It leaves a good impression and also
acknowledges that they've helped you in some way.
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions
How to Ask the Right
Survey Questions
Open-ended questions

Open-ended question examples

•What are you wearing today?
•How did you meet your best friend?
•What is it like to live in Barcelona?
Closed-ended questions

Closed-ended questions examples

Did you order the chicken?
Do you like learning German?
Are you living in Australia?
Rating questions
Likert scale questions
Multiple choice questions
Multiple choice questions
Picture choice questions