7 key points for asking the right questions in your questionnaires

Getting high quality data from your surveys starts with asking the right questions. Here you will discover the 7 key points that will allow you to ask the right questions in your questionnaires. Simplicity, precision, singularity, completeness, optionality, neutrality and balance are the seven points to memorize in order to ask the right questions.

How to ask the right questions in the questionnaires?

Simplicity

Is your question easy to understand?

• Bad practice: Out of all the colors in the spectrum below, which one do you prefer?
• Good practice: What is your favorite color?

Precision

Can the respondant identify precisely what you are asking?

• Bad practice: Do you like our new apple juice?
• Good practice: Do you like the texture of our new apple juice?

Singularity

Are you asking one single question or a number of questions inside one question?

• Bad practice: Which operating system is the fastest and most reliable?
• Good practice: Which operating system is the fastest?

Completeness

Do you give your respondants all of the possible answer choices for the question you are asking?

• Bad practice: What do you like the most about your Macbook Pro? Answer choices: A. Size, B. Color, C. Speed, D. Reliability.
• Good practice: What you do like the most about your Macbook Pro? Answer choices: A. Size, B. Color, C. Speed, D. Reliability, E. Other (with a text box).

Neutrality

Are you questions biased?

• Bad practice: Our patisseries have been elected best in town for the past 5 consecutive years. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best, how would you rate our pastries?
• Good practice: On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best, how would you rate our pastries?

Balance

Are your answer choices evenly split between positive and negative answers?

• Bad practice: How satisfied are you with our services? Answer choices: unsatisfied, neutral, satisfied, very satisfied.
• Good practice: How satisfied are you with our services? Answer choices: Very unsatisfied, unsatisfied, neutral, satisfied, very satisfied.

Optionality

Do you give your respondants the possibility to pass on questions that call for sensitive information that they are not willing to give?