How to Create Survey Questions

A survey questionnaire is a method used to collect data through responses to a series of questions. Creating a survey requires a considerable amount of time and effort. However, by following a step-by-step approach, you can create an effective tool for data collection from survey questions.

Define the goal of the survey. What kind of information do you need to collect through the survey? What is your main objective? Is the survey the best way to collect this data?

• Formulate survey questions. You can ask one or several questions, but they should stay focused on the main purpose of the survey.
• Establish one or more hypotheses you wish to test. The questions in the survey should be designed to systematically evaluate these hypotheses.

Select one or more question types. Depending on the information you wish to collect, there are various question types you can include in your survey, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Here are some common question types used in surveys:

• Yes/No Questions: These are typically binary questions with answers like “yes/no” or “agree/disagree.” They are the quickest and easiest to analyze, but may lack depth.
• Open-ended Questions: These allow respondents to answer in their own words. They are useful for understanding personal feelings, but harder to analyze. Open-ended questions are often used to ask “why” questions.
• Multiple Choice Questions: These questions offer three or more options and require respondents to choose one or more answers. They simplify data analysis but may not always give the respondent the exact answer they want.
• Ranking Questions: These require respondents to rank or order items within a set. For example, ranking five items from least to most important. While useful for ordering preferences, they do not explain why the respondent ranked them in that way.
• Rating Scale Questions: These allow respondents to rate an issue on a pre-defined scale. You might use a scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” These are flexible but still don’t address “why” questions.

Create questions for the survey. Survey questions should be clear, precise, and to the point. This will ensure you receive the best possible responses from your participants.

• Write concise and simple questions. Avoid complex phrasing or technical terms that could confuse respondents, leading to inaccurate answers.
• Ask one question at a time. This helps to avoid confusion.
• Be cautious when asking private or “sensitive” information. This can range from basic details like age or weight to more complex topics like sexual history.
  • For such questions, you may need to use anonymous responses or data encryption techniques.
• Decide whether to include options like “I don’t know” or “Not applicable.” These give respondents the option to skip certain questions but can result in missing data, making analysis more difficult.
• Place the most important questions at the beginning of the survey. This ensures that the critical data is collected even if respondents lose interest later on.

Limit the length of the survey. Aim to keep the survey brief. Shorter surveys tend to receive more responses, so try to make it as concise as possible while still gathering all the essential information. If possible, limit the survey to just 5 questions!

• Only include questions that directly serve your research objectives. The survey is not a place to collect all kinds of information about the respondent.
• Avoid unnecessary questions that could frustrate respondents.

Identify your target audience. Is there a specific group you want to target? If so, it’s best to define this before distributing the survey.

• Consider whether you want to gather information from both men and women. Some studies focus on just one gender.
• Decide if you want to include both adults and children. Many surveys are designed for a particular age group.
  • Consider the age ranges of your target audience. For instance, you might define young adults as ages 18 to 29, adults as ages 30 to 54, and seniors as those 55 and older.
• Think about what qualifies someone as part of your target group. Do they need to drive? Have health insurance? Have young children under 3? You need to understand this thoroughly before distributing the survey.

Ensure privacy protection. Plan how to protect the privacy of survey participants before you start drafting questions. This is a crucial step for many research projects.

• Consider creating an anonymous survey. You may not ask for the respondent's name, but can still infer some characteristics based on demographic data (such as age, physical traits, or a code).
• Think about removing any identifiers from participants. Assign each survey (and participant) a unique code or identifier, and only use these to identify respondents. Ensure any personally identifiable information is discarded.
• Remember, you don’t need to collect excessive demographic data to identify someone. Participants may hesitate to share such details, so minimizing demographic questions can increase the likelihood of getting responses.
• Make sure to dispose of any identifying information once the survey is completed.

Introduce yourself. You need to introduce yourself and your qualifications. Clarify whether you are working alone or as part of a team. Mention the institution or company that assigned you the task of data collection. Here are some examples:

• My name is Nguyễn Phương Thanh, and I’m one of the creators of this survey. I am a member of the Psychology Department at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, focusing on cognitive development in adolescents.
• I am Trần Văn Quỳnh, a third-year student at Hanoi University. This survey is part of my final exam in the Statistics course.
• I am Mai Xuân Đào, a market research analyst at Company X. I am conducting a survey on attitudes toward drug use in Vietnam over the past several years.

Explain the purpose of the survey. Many people may not respond to your survey if they don’t understand its purpose. You don’t need a lengthy explanation; a few concise sentences will suffice. Here are some examples:

• I am collecting data on attitudes toward gun control. This information is being gathered for the X course in Anthropology at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi.
• This survey will present 15 questions on eating habits and exercise. We are researching the correlation between healthy eating, regular physical activity, and cancer occurrences in older adults.
• This survey will ask about your recent experiences on international flights. The survey will have three sections: questions about the number of trips, your feelings about those trips, and your future travel plans.

Clarify what will be done with the collected data. Are you collecting this data for a class project or for publication? Will it be used for market research? Depending on the purpose of the data, different requirements should be considered before distributing the survey.

• Note that if you are collecting data for a university or for publication, you may need approval from your institution’s review board before starting the survey. Most universities have such boards, and their contact details are usually available on the university’s website.
• Remember, transparency is always best. You must be honest about how you will use the collected data.
• If necessary, provide consent forms. Be clear that while you cannot guarantee complete confidentiality, you will make every effort to protect their information.

Estimate the survey duration. Before anyone sits down to complete your survey, let them know whether it will take 10 minutes or 2 hours. Providing this information upfront will increase the chances of receiving more completed surveys.

• Test the survey yourself, time how long it takes, and then estimate that some people may take longer while others may finish quicker.
• Offer a time range instead of a specific duration. For example, say the survey will take approximately 15-30 minutes, rather than just 15 minutes, to avoid discouraging people who may feel they don’t have enough time.
• This is also a reason to keep your survey concise! You’ll feel more comfortable asking people to spare 20 minutes instead of 3 hours.

Offer incentives. Incentives are anything you provide to survey respondents as a reward after completion. These can include money, desired prizes, gift cards, candies, etc. Giving incentives has its pros and cons.

• Incentives can attract respondents who are not suited for your survey. You likely don’t want responses from people just filling out the survey to claim the reward. This is a downside to offering incentives.
• Incentives can encourage individuals who might otherwise be reluctant to complete the survey. This is when incentives can help you collect responses from your targeted participants.
• Consider using SurveyMonkey’s tactic. Instead of paying participants directly, they donate 50 cents to a charity chosen by the respondent. This method helps reduce the chance that people will fill out the survey purely for personal gain.
• Consider a raffle for participants who complete the survey. Offer rewards like a 500,000 VND gift card for a restaurant, a new iPod, or movie tickets. This reduces the likelihood of people taking the survey just for the incentive, but still gives them a chance at an attractive prize.

Ensure professionalism in your survey. If you want people to trust you as a data collector, your survey must look professional.

• Always double-check your survey. Look for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
• Give your survey a clear title. This is an effective way to quickly communicate the focus of your survey to respondents.
• Thank your respondents. Express appreciation for their time and effort in completing your survey.

Conduct a pilot test. Ask acquaintances to complete your survey (they won’t be counted in the results) and be ready to make adjustments if necessary. Plan to invite 5-10 participants for the pilot test. Collect their feedback with questions such as:

• Is the survey easy to understand? Were there any questions that were unclear?
• Is the survey accessible? (Especially for online surveys.)
• Do you feel the survey was worth the time you invested?
• Did you feel comfortable answering the questions?
• Do you have any suggestions for improving the survey?

Distribute the survey. You need to determine the best method for distributing your survey. There are several popular ways to share your survey:

• Use online platforms like SurveyMonkey.com. This website allows you to create surveys using their tools and provides additional options such as purchasing access to target audiences and utilizing their analytics tools to process your data.
• Consider mailing surveys. If you choose to mail your surveys, be sure to include a pre-addressed and stamped envelope so that respondents can easily return their completed surveys. Make sure the survey fits into the standard-sized envelope.
• Conduct in-person interviews. This can be an effective way to ensure you reach your target audience and minimize missing information in the survey since respondents are less likely to skip questions when asked face-to-face.
• Try using phone surveys. Although this is a quicker method, it may be difficult to find participants who are willing to answer survey questions over the phone.

Set a deadline. Request that respondents complete and return the survey by a certain date to ensure you have enough time to analyze the results.

• Choose a reasonable deadline. A two-week window is typically enough for respondents to complete the survey. A longer deadline may cause participants to forget about it.
• Consider sending a reminder. A week before the deadline is a good time to send a gentle reminder to participants. You can even resend the survey in case they misplaced the original.