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Survey Research – Types, Methods, Examples

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Survey Research

Definition:

Survey Research is a quantitative research method that involves collecting standardized data from a sample of individuals or groups through the use of structured questionnaires or interviews. The data collected is then analyzed statistically to identify patterns and relationships between variables, and to draw conclusions about the population being studied.

Survey research can be used to answer a variety of questions, including:

• What are people’s opinions about a certain topic?
• What are people’s experiences with a certain product or service?
• What are people’s beliefs about a certain issue?

Survey Research Methods

Survey Research Methods are as follows:

• Telephone surveys: A survey research method where questions are administered to respondents over the phone, often used in market research or political polling.
• Face-to-face surveys: A survey research method where questions are administered to respondents in person, often used in social or health research.
• Mail surveys: A survey research method where questionnaires are sent to respondents through mail, often used in customer satisfaction or opinion surveys.
• Online surveys: A survey research method where questions are administered to respondents through online platforms, often used in market research or customer feedback.
• Email surveys: A survey research method where questionnaires are sent to respondents through email, often used in customer satisfaction or opinion surveys.
• Mixed-mode surveys: A survey research method that combines two or more survey modes, often used to increase response rates or reach diverse populations.
• Computer-assisted surveys: A survey research method that uses computer technology to administer or collect survey data, often used in large-scale surveys or data collection.
• Interactive voice response surveys: A survey research method where respondents answer questions through a touch-tone telephone system, often used in automated customer satisfaction or opinion surveys.
• Mobile surveys: A survey research method where questions are administered to respondents through mobile devices, often used in market research or customer feedback.
• Group-administered surveys: A survey research method where questions are administered to a group of respondents simultaneously, often used in education or training evaluation.
• Web-intercept surveys: A survey research method where questions are administered to website visitors, often used in website or user experience research.
• In-app surveys: A survey research method where questions are administered to users of a mobile application, often used in mobile app or user experience research.
• Social media surveys: A survey research method where questions are administered to respondents through social media platforms, often used in social media or brand awareness research.
• SMS surveys: A survey research method where questions are administered to respondents through text messaging, often used in customer feedback or opinion surveys.
• IVR surveys: A survey research method where questions are administered to respondents through an interactive voice response system, often used in automated customer feedback or opinion surveys.
• Mixed-method surveys: A survey research method that combines both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, often used in exploratory or mixed-method research.
• Drop-off surveys: A survey research method where respondents are provided with a survey questionnaire and asked to return it at a later time or through a designated drop-off location.
• Intercept surveys: A survey research method where respondents are approached in public places and asked to participate in a survey, often used in market research or customer feedback.
• Hybrid surveys: A survey research method that combines two or more survey modes, data sources, or research methods, often used in complex or multi-dimensional research questions.

Types of Survey Research

There are several types of survey research that can be used to collect data from a sample of individuals or groups. following are Types of Survey Research:

• Cross-sectional survey: A type of survey research that gathers data from a sample of individuals at a specific point in time, providing a snapshot of the population being studied.
• Longitudinal survey: A type of survey research that gathers data from the same sample of individuals over an extended period of time, allowing researchers to track changes or trends in the population being studied.
• Panel survey: A type of longitudinal survey research that tracks the same sample of individuals over time, typically collecting data at multiple points in time.
• Epidemiological survey: A type of survey research that studies the distribution and determinants of health and disease in a population, often used to identify risk factors and inform public health interventions.
• Observational survey: A type of survey research that collects data through direct observation of individuals or groups, often used in behavioral or social research.
• Correlational survey: A type of survey research that measures the degree of association or relationship between two or more variables, often used to identify patterns or trends in data.
• Experimental survey: A type of survey research that involves manipulating one or more variables to observe the effect on an outcome, often used to test causal hypotheses.
• Descriptive survey: A type of survey research that describes the characteristics or attributes of a population or phenomenon, often used in exploratory research or to summarize existing data.
• Diagnostic survey: A type of survey research that assesses the current state or condition of an individual or system, often used in health or organizational research.
• Explanatory survey: A type of survey research that seeks to explain or understand the causes or mechanisms behind a phenomenon, often used in social or psychological research.
• Process evaluation survey: A type of survey research that measures the implementation and outcomes of a program or intervention, often used in program evaluation or quality improvement.
• Impact evaluation survey: A type of survey research that assesses the effectiveness or impact of a program or intervention, often used to inform policy or decision-making.
• Customer satisfaction survey: A type of survey research that measures the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of customers with a product, service, or experience, often used in marketing or customer service research.
• Market research survey: A type of survey research that collects data on consumer preferences, behaviors, or attitudes, often used in market research or product development.
• Public opinion survey: A type of survey research that measures the attitudes, beliefs, or opinions of a population on a specific issue or topic, often used in political or social research.
• Behavioral survey: A type of survey research that measures actual behavior or actions of individuals, often used in health or social research.
• Attitude survey: A type of survey research that measures the attitudes, beliefs, or opinions of individuals, often used in social or psychological research.
• Opinion poll: A type of survey research that measures the opinions or preferences of a population on a specific issue or topic, often used in political or media research.
• Ad hoc survey: A type of survey research that is conducted for a specific purpose or research question, often used in exploratory research or to answer a specific research question.

Types Based on Methodology

Based on Methodology Survey are divided into two Types:

Quantitative Survey Research

Qualitative survey research.

Quantitative survey research is a method of collecting numerical data from a sample of participants through the use of standardized surveys or questionnaires. The purpose of quantitative survey research is to gather empirical evidence that can be analyzed statistically to draw conclusions about a particular population or phenomenon.

In quantitative survey research, the questions are structured and pre-determined, often utilizing closed-ended questions, where participants are given a limited set of response options to choose from. This approach allows for efficient data collection and analysis, as well as the ability to generalize the findings to a larger population.

Quantitative survey research is often used in market research, social sciences, public health, and other fields where numerical data is needed to make informed decisions and recommendations.

Qualitative survey research is a method of collecting non-numerical data from a sample of participants through the use of open-ended questions or semi-structured interviews. The purpose of qualitative survey research is to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences, perceptions, and attitudes of participants towards a particular phenomenon or topic.

In qualitative survey research, the questions are open-ended, allowing participants to share their thoughts and experiences in their own words. This approach allows for a rich and nuanced understanding of the topic being studied, and can provide insights that are difficult to capture through quantitative methods alone.

Qualitative survey research is often used in social sciences, education, psychology, and other fields where a deeper understanding of human experiences and perceptions is needed to inform policy, practice, or theory.

Data Analysis Methods

There are several Survey Research Data Analysis Methods that researchers may use, including:

• Descriptive statistics: This method is used to summarize and describe the basic features of the survey data, such as the mean, median, mode, and standard deviation. These statistics can help researchers understand the distribution of responses and identify any trends or patterns.
• Inferential statistics: This method is used to make inferences about the larger population based on the data collected in the survey. Common inferential statistical methods include hypothesis testing, regression analysis, and correlation analysis.
• Factor analysis: This method is used to identify underlying factors or dimensions in the survey data. This can help researchers simplify the data and identify patterns and relationships that may not be immediately apparent.
• Cluster analysis: This method is used to group similar respondents together based on their survey responses. This can help researchers identify subgroups within the larger population and understand how different groups may differ in their attitudes, behaviors, or preferences.
• Structural equation modeling: This method is used to test complex relationships between variables in the survey data. It can help researchers understand how different variables may be related to one another and how they may influence one another.
• Content analysis: This method is used to analyze open-ended responses in the survey data. Researchers may use software to identify themes or categories in the responses, or they may manually review and code the responses.
• Text mining: This method is used to analyze text-based survey data, such as responses to open-ended questions. Researchers may use software to identify patterns and themes in the text, or they may manually review and code the text.

Applications of Survey Research

Here are some common applications of survey research:

• Market Research: Companies use survey research to gather insights about customer needs, preferences, and behavior. These insights are used to create marketing strategies and develop new products.
• Public Opinion Research: Governments and political parties use survey research to understand public opinion on various issues. This information is used to develop policies and make decisions.
• Social Research: Survey research is used in social research to study social trends, attitudes, and behavior. Researchers use survey data to explore topics such as education, health, and social inequality.
• Academic Research: Survey research is used in academic research to study various phenomena. Researchers use survey data to test theories, explore relationships between variables, and draw conclusions.
• Customer Satisfaction Research: Companies use survey research to gather information about customer satisfaction with their products and services. This information is used to improve customer experience and retention.
• Employee Surveys: Employers use survey research to gather feedback from employees about their job satisfaction, working conditions, and organizational culture. This information is used to improve employee retention and productivity.
• Health Research: Survey research is used in health research to study topics such as disease prevalence, health behaviors, and healthcare access. Researchers use survey data to develop interventions and improve healthcare outcomes.

Examples of Survey Research

Here are some real-time examples of survey research:

• COVID-19 Pandemic Surveys: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, surveys have been conducted to gather information about public attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions related to the pandemic. Governments and healthcare organizations have used this data to develop public health strategies and messaging.
• Political Polls During Elections: During election seasons, surveys are used to measure public opinion on political candidates, policies, and issues in real-time. This information is used by political parties to develop campaign strategies and make decisions.
• Customer Feedback Surveys: Companies often use real-time customer feedback surveys to gather insights about customer experience and satisfaction. This information is used to improve products and services quickly.
• Event Surveys: Organizers of events such as conferences and trade shows often use surveys to gather feedback from attendees in real-time. This information can be used to improve future events and make adjustments during the current event.
• Website and App Surveys: Website and app owners use surveys to gather real-time feedback from users about the functionality, user experience, and overall satisfaction with their platforms. This feedback can be used to improve the user experience and retain customers.
• Employee Pulse Surveys: Employers use real-time pulse surveys to gather feedback from employees about their work experience and overall job satisfaction. This feedback is used to make changes in real-time to improve employee retention and productivity.

Survey Sample

Purpose of survey research.

The purpose of survey research is to gather data and insights from a representative sample of individuals. Survey research allows researchers to collect data quickly and efficiently from a large number of people, making it a valuable tool for understanding attitudes, behaviors, and preferences.

Here are some common purposes of survey research:

• Descriptive Research: Survey research is often used to describe characteristics of a population or a phenomenon. For example, a survey could be used to describe the characteristics of a particular demographic group, such as age, gender, or income.
• Exploratory Research: Survey research can be used to explore new topics or areas of research. Exploratory surveys are often used to generate hypotheses or identify potential relationships between variables.
• Explanatory Research: Survey research can be used to explain relationships between variables. For example, a survey could be used to determine whether there is a relationship between educational attainment and income.
• Evaluation Research: Survey research can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of a program or intervention. For example, a survey could be used to evaluate the impact of a health education program on behavior change.
• Monitoring Research: Survey research can be used to monitor trends or changes over time. For example, a survey could be used to monitor changes in attitudes towards climate change or political candidates over time.

When to use Survey Research

there are certain circumstances where survey research is particularly appropriate. Here are some situations where survey research may be useful:

• When the research question involves attitudes, beliefs, or opinions: Survey research is particularly useful for understanding attitudes, beliefs, and opinions on a particular topic. For example, a survey could be used to understand public opinion on a political issue.
• When the research question involves behaviors or experiences: Survey research can also be useful for understanding behaviors and experiences. For example, a survey could be used to understand the prevalence of a particular health behavior.
• When a large sample size is needed: Survey research allows researchers to collect data from a large number of people quickly and efficiently. This makes it a useful method when a large sample size is needed to ensure statistical validity.
• When the research question is time-sensitive: Survey research can be conducted quickly, which makes it a useful method when the research question is time-sensitive. For example, a survey could be used to understand public opinion on a breaking news story.
• When the research question involves a geographically dispersed population: Survey research can be conducted online, which makes it a useful method when the population of interest is geographically dispersed.

How to Conduct Survey Research

Conducting survey research involves several steps that need to be carefully planned and executed. Here is a general overview of the process:

• Define the research question: The first step in conducting survey research is to clearly define the research question. The research question should be specific, measurable, and relevant to the population of interest.
• Develop a survey instrument : The next step is to develop a survey instrument. This can be done using various methods, such as online survey tools or paper surveys. The survey instrument should be designed to elicit the information needed to answer the research question, and should be pre-tested with a small sample of individuals.
• Select a sample : The sample is the group of individuals who will be invited to participate in the survey. The sample should be representative of the population of interest, and the size of the sample should be sufficient to ensure statistical validity.
• Administer the survey: The survey can be administered in various ways, such as online, by mail, or in person. The method of administration should be chosen based on the population of interest and the research question.
• Analyze the data: Once the survey data is collected, it needs to be analyzed. This involves summarizing the data using statistical methods, such as frequency distributions or regression analysis.
• Draw conclusions: The final step is to draw conclusions based on the data analysis. This involves interpreting the results and answering the research question.

Advantages of Survey Research

There are several advantages to using survey research, including:

• Efficient data collection: Survey research allows researchers to collect data quickly and efficiently from a large number of people. This makes it a useful method for gathering information on a wide range of topics.
• Standardized data collection: Surveys are typically standardized, which means that all participants receive the same questions in the same order. This ensures that the data collected is consistent and reliable.
• Cost-effective: Surveys can be conducted online, by mail, or in person, which makes them a cost-effective method of data collection.
• Anonymity: Participants can remain anonymous when responding to a survey. This can encourage participants to be more honest and open in their responses.
• Easy comparison: Surveys allow for easy comparison of data between different groups or over time. This makes it possible to identify trends and patterns in the data.
• Versatility: Surveys can be used to collect data on a wide range of topics, including attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and preferences.

Limitations of Survey Research

Here are some of the main limitations of survey research:

• Limited depth: Surveys are typically designed to collect quantitative data, which means that they do not provide much depth or detail about people’s experiences or opinions. This can limit the insights that can be gained from the data.
• Potential for bias: Surveys can be affected by various biases, including selection bias, response bias, and social desirability bias. These biases can distort the results and make them less accurate.
• L imited validity: Surveys are only as valid as the questions they ask. If the questions are poorly designed or ambiguous, the results may not accurately reflect the respondents’ attitudes or behaviors.
• Limited generalizability : Survey results are only generalizable to the population from which the sample was drawn. If the sample is not representative of the population, the results may not be generalizable to the larger population.
• Limited ability to capture context: Surveys typically do not capture the context in which attitudes or behaviors occur. This can make it difficult to understand the reasons behind the responses.
• Limited ability to capture complex phenomena: Surveys are not well-suited to capture complex phenomena, such as emotions or the dynamics of interpersonal relationships.

Following is an example of a Survey Sample:

Welcome to our Survey Research Page! We value your opinions and appreciate your participation in this survey. Please answer the questions below as honestly and thoroughly as possible.

1. What is your age?

• A) Under 18
• G) 65 or older

2. What is your highest level of education completed?

• A) Less than high school
• B) High school or equivalent
• C) Some college or technical school
• D) Bachelor’s degree
• E) Graduate or professional degree

3. What is your current employment status?

• A) Employed full-time
• B) Employed part-time
• C) Self-employed
• D) Unemployed

4. How often do you use the internet per day?

•  A) Less than 1 hour
• B) 1-3 hours
• C) 3-5 hours
• D) 5-7 hours
• E) More than 7 hours

5. How often do you engage in social media per day?

6. Have you ever participated in a survey research study before?

7. If you have participated in a survey research study before, how was your experience?

• A) Excellent
• E) Very poor

8. What are some of the topics that you would be interested in participating in a survey research study about?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

9. How often would you be willing to participate in survey research studies?

• A) Once a week
• B) Once a month
• C) Once every 6 months
• D) Once a year

10. Any additional comments or suggestions?

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your feedback is important to us and will help us improve our survey research efforts.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Types of Surveys: All You Need to Know About Survey Research Methods

• Choose the right survey method : Your method should always align with your research objectives, target audience, budget, time constraints, and the type of data needed.
• Pick distribution channels : You can embed surveys in email and use them in-product, as website pop-ups , or in a mobile app. There are also plenty of offline types of surveys. Each has its advantages and is suitable for different contexts.
• Select the types of survey questions : Use closed-ended questions for quantifiable data, open-ended questions for richer insights, and mixed-format questions to combine both strengths. The choice of question type impacts the depth and quality of data you can collect.
• Decide on survey frequency : Decide if your research requires a cross-sectional survey for a one-time snapshot or a longitudinal survey (trend, cohort, or panel) for tracking changes over time. This choice affects the insights you can derive from the data. Using a tool with in-built AI survey creation features can significantly speed up the process. ‍
• Use surveys for your business case : With surveys, you can understand user needs, refine products, and improve online customer experiences . They inform strategic decisions in market or product research , customer experience, and content strategy, driving growth and customer satisfaction .

If you find your questions are going unheard, consider employing surveys as a strategic listening tool.

Designed for anyone collecting data, this article simplifies the choice of survey research methods to align with specific goals and secure trustworthy findings.

We will explore different survey types, their intended purposes, and practical advice for their use. After reading, you'll clearly understand how to apply survey methods to gather and interpret valuable feedback effectively.

What is survey research?

Survey research is a systematic method of collecting data from individuals to gather information and insights. A survey itself is a tool consisting of a series of questions aimed at extracting specific data from a particular group of people. This technique is widely used across various fields, such as marketing, social science, and public health, to uncover trends, attitudes, and behaviors.

Surveys are characterized by their capacity to provide quantitative data —numerical information that can be analyzed statistically— as well as qualitative insights , which delve into the reasoning behind certain trends or opinions.

The process involves selecting a sample that represents a larger population, formulating questions designed to elicit clear responses, and administering the survey through one of several methods, including online, by mail, or in person.

10 benefits of survey research

Survey research offers a range of benefits, making it a popular method in various fields such as social sciences, marketing, health, and public policy. Here are some of the key potential benefits:

1. Cost-effective

Surveys can be relatively inexpensive, especially when conducted online or via email. They allow you to collect data from large samples without the high costs associated with other methods, like user research interviews .

Modern survey tools make it easy for anyone, including those with limited research experience, to design and distribute surveys, democratizing the research process.

2. Large sample sizes = more reliable results

As your research sample sizes increase, the reliability and accuracy of the data also improve, leading to more trustworthy results and stronger conclusions.

Surveys can reach large numbers of respondents, increasing the generalizability of the results. It is particularly important for studies aiming to make inferences about larger audiences.

When drawing conclusions based on Survicate data, the sample size is usually in the thousands, which gives us confidence in the positive impact these changes will have on our customers.

Glen Hamilton , Senior Director of Digital Growth at Fortive

3. Flexibility

You can distribute surveys in many different ways. Online surveys alone can be distributed via email or link, as a website pops up , as an in-product, or as a mobile app . This flexibility allows you to choose the best method for your target audience and research objectives.

We use almost all available channels. We don't send letters with NPS yet, but maybe we'll get there one day 😅

Krzysztof Szymański , Head of CRM at Taxfix

4. Quantifiable data and trend analysis

Surveys often produce quantitative data, which can be easily analyzed using analytics tools. It allows you to create objective comparisons, establish metrics and KPIs, and build trendlines.

By conducting surveys at different points in time, you can track changes in opinions, behaviors, or other variables, allowing for trend analysis over time.

💡A recurrent NPS survey is a great tool to build a sentiment trendline.

You need to start somewhere and then see the baseline. Our business depends on the weather, so our users are probably less satisfied on rainy days. It’s quite the opposite when it’s sunny. We can see this in the surveys, but we needed a year or two to establish a baseline. User satisfaction went up in summer and down a bit in winter. Now we know it’s a normal trend.

Falco Kübler , Senior Product Owner at wetter.com

5. Time-efficient

Surveys can be designed to be quick to complete, minimizing the time burden on respondents. They also allow researchers to gather data in a relatively short time frame compared to other methods like longitudinal studies.

There’s a sports brand for which we can get enough responses with very high statistical significance within just three or four hours. People respond because they want to and because it's something they really are involved in.

Patricia Caldas , UXR Manager at Medialivre

6. Wide geographic reach

Surveys, especially online ones, can be distributed across different regions and even globally, making it possible to collect data from diverse populations.

💡If your audience is international, consider using multilingual surveys that get translated automatically depending on the language your respondents set for their browser.

7. Versatility in question design

Surveys can include a mix of question types, such as multiple-choice, Likert scales , open-ended questions , and more. This way, you can explore different aspects of a topic and collect a rich data set.

Additionally, they can be tailored to specific research needs for targeted data collection on particular issues, demographics, or sectors.

We have implemented Survicate [surveys] to get user feedback in a given context. So, as opposed to the more standard way of fielding surveys, sending an email to invite users to answer several questions, Survicate allows us to get feedback on the particular experience of the site or the app as the user is experiencing it, which makes the answers much more contextual and accurate.

Sandrine Veillet , VP of Global Product at Medscape

8. Anonymity

You can design anonymous surveys , encouraging more honest and accurate responses, especially for sensitive topics. 

💡Although in Survicate, we usually advise identifying your respondents, there are cases in which anonymity can work better. It can, for example, reduce social desirability bias, where respondents might otherwise provide answers they think are more socially acceptable.

9. Capability to handle complex questions

Surveys can include complex question designs, for example, by using question logic, which can help delve deeper into the respondents' reasoning.

💡For example, Medscape used email surveys to test its hypothesis regarding a potential development in the brand’s content base. It was complex research, but it was managed with an unmoderated survey and specially designed survey logic that first tested whether the participants were properly prepared to take part in the survey research.

10. Ease of analysis

Customer feedback software easily processes and analyzes survey data, enabling you to gain insights quickly and efficiently.

Survicate's built-in analytics dashboard shows survey results in real-time, automatically measuring net promoter, customer satisfaction, or customer effort scores.

Moreover, you can categorize your qualitative feedback with Insights Hub and ask additional questions to a conversational chat-based Research Assistant that will draw answers from the available feedback.

How to choose the right survey method

When deciding on the best survey method for your needs, take into account the following factors:

• Research Objective s: Clearly define what you want to achieve with your survey. Different goals require different survey approaches.
• Target Audience : Identify where your audience is most likely to be reached and consider their preferred mode of communication.
• Budget Constraints : Match the survey method to the financial resources available. Online surveys can be less costly compared to in-person methods.
• Time Availability : Choose a method that fits within your timeline. Online surveys provide quicker results than traditional mail surveys.
• Data Type Required : Decide if you need quantitative data, which is easily obtained through structured surveys, or qualitative data, which may necessitate more open-ended questions and discussions.

What formats can research surveys take?

Surveys can be distributed through various channels, each with its own set of advantages. Understanding the different types of survey methods based on distribution can help you select the most effective approach for your research needs. Let's explore the types of surveys based on how you distribute them.

Email surveys

Email surveys are sent directly to participants' inboxes. This method is highly targeted, reaching individuals who have already engaged with your brand or service. It is convenient for recipients, allowing them to respond at their leisure.

➡️ To improve response rates , ensure your survey tool collects partial responses. With this feature, surveys embedded in emails will collect every single answer, even if your respondent doesn't continue to fill out the survey.

In-product surveys

In-product surveys are embedded directly within your service or application. They capture feedback at the moment of user interaction, which can lead to more accurate and actionable insights.

➡️ This method is less intrusive and benefits from high engagement rates as it is part of the natural user experience.

Website surveys

Website surveys are a type of online surveys that can take the form of pop-ups, sidebar forms, or embedded questionnaires on a webpage. They are useful for capturing the opinions of site visitors in real-time, providing insights into user experience and satisfaction.

➡️ They should be easy to complete to ensure effectiveness and not disrupt the browsing experience.

Link surveys

Surveys distributed via a link can be shared across multiple platforms, including social media, SMS, or digital workspaces. This online survey method offers flexibility in reaching a wider audience and can be used to gather a diverse range of responses.

➡️ It's important to track which platforms yield the best response rates to optimize future survey distributions.

Mobile surveys

With mobile surveys , you can easily collect in-app feedback . They should be brief and optimized for mobile interfaces to fit smaller screens and on-the-go lifestyles.

➡️ Design mobile surveys with concise content and straightforward navigation to maximize engagement.

Phone surveys

You can achieve a more personal touch with a telephone survey and clarify any ambiguities in real-time. However, they require trained interviewers and may not reach respondents who favor communication via text or email.

➡️ Ensure questions are direct and the call script is standardized to maintain consistency across telephone surveys.

In-person interviews

Face-to-face interviews or in-person surveys can yield comprehensive and nuanced information, as body language and tone provide additional context. They are highly interactive but can be costly and time-consuming.

➡️ Prepare a structured interview guide to keep the face-to-face interviews focused and efficient.

Paper surveys

Paper surveys are traditional tools useful in environments lacking digital access. They do not require internet connectivity, but data entry and analysis for a paper survey research can be labor-intensive.

➡️ To manage this, create questions that are easy to process and analyze from collected paper surveys.

Kiosk surveys

Kiosk surveys are interactive, often touch-screen questionnaires placed in high-traffic areas in a survey kiosk, allowing for immediate feedback.

➡️ They are ideal for capturing real-time customer reactions or satisfaction levels at the point of experience, such as in retail stores or service centers.

Focus groups

Focus groups are small, diverse groups of people whose reactions to specific topics are studied. Moderators lead discussions to gain deep insights into participant attitudes and perceptions, making it a qualitative method valuable for exploring complex issues.

Panel surveys

A panel survey involves a pre-recruited group of individuals who agree to participate in multiple surveys over a period. This method ensures a reliable sample for longitudinal studies, tracking changes in opinions or behaviors among the same set of respondents.

Types of survey questions

When designing a survey, your questions can make or break the data you collect. It is vital to understand the different question types and when to use them to gather meaningful insights effectively.

Closed-ended questions

Closed-ended questions are designed to receive a specific response, such as "yes" or "no," a numerical rating, or a choice from a set list of options. These types of questions are quantifiable, making them straightforward to analyze. Examples include multiple-choice questions and rating scales.

➡️ Best for:  quick, concise data collection.

Open-ended questions

Open-ended questions allow respondents to answer in their own words, providing richer, more nuanced information. This format is less restrictive and can yield insights that closed-ended questions might miss. Utilizing open-ended questions can be invaluable for understanding the reasons behind behaviors or opinions, though the data can be more challenging to analyze due to its qualitative nature.

➡️ Best for: understanding the reasons behind behaviors or opinions

Mixed-format questions

Mixed-format questions combine elements of both open and closed-ended questions. They might start with a closed-ended question and then offer an "Other" option where respondents can elaborate. This hybrid approach provides the structured data of closed-ended questions with the depth of open-ended ones, making it a versatile choice for complex topics.

➡️ Best for: Mixed-format questions enable you to gather a wide range of data without limiting respondent expression.

Types of surveys based on frequency

Surveys can be categorized by how often they are conducted. This frequency affects the type of data collected and the insights that can be drawn.

Cross-Sectional Surveys : These are one-time snapshots of a population at a specific point in time. They help in understanding current attitudes or behaviors but do not track changes over time.

Longitudinal Surveys: In contrast, longitudinal surveys are conducted repeatedly over an extended period. They can be further broken down into:

• Trend Surveys: measure changes over time within a population, where different individuals may be surveyed in each wave.
• Cohort Surveys: Cohort surveys follow a specific sub-group or cohort over time, observing how their responses change.
• Panel Surveys: Similar to cohort surveys, panel surveys involve repeatedly surveying the same individuals over time, allowing for detailed tracking of individual changes.

The choice between cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys depends on whether your research aims to capture a momentary picture or observe trends and developments. Each type offers unique benefits and should align with your specific research objectives.

What can businesses do with these types of surveys?

Surveys are powerful tools for businesses seeking to understand their market, customers, and products. They can inform a range of strategic decisions and drive growth when used effectively.

Customer experience

Customer experience surveys are essential for gauging satisfaction and identifying areas for service improvement to enhance customer loyalty.

Net Promoter Score® (NPS) Survey : Measure customer loyalty and predict business growth.

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Survey : Obtain immediate feedback on customer satisfaction with a product, service, or interaction.

Product surveys

Product surveys allow businesses to collect user feedback on their offerings, guiding product development and feature optimization.

Product Development Feedback Survey : Gain insights into customers' desired features or improvements.

Product Use and Satisfaction Survey : Understand how customers use your product and their satisfaction levels.

Market research survey

Market research surveys help businesses understand their audience and market landscape. They provide critical insights for informed decision-making and strategic planning.

Customer Demographics Survey : Gather data on age, gender, income, and more to tailor marketing strategies.

Competitor Analysis Survey : Assess how your business stacks up against competitors to identify areas for improvement.

Exit intent surveys

Exit intent surveys reveal the reasons behind user departures, providing actionable insights to reduce churn rates.

Website Exit Survey : Discover why visitors leave without converting to address potential issues.

Brand surveys

Brand surveys measure public perception and awareness, offering valuable data to shape branding and marketing initiatives.

Brand Awareness Survey : Determine how well customers recognize and recall your brand.

Brand Perception Survey : Learn how customers perceive your brand values and positioning.

Lead generation survey

Lead generation surveys assist in identifying potential customers and understanding their needs, optimizing the sales funnel.

Lead Qualification Survey : Identify and understand potential leads to increase conversion rates.

Pre-Sales Survey : Collect information from prospects to personalize sales approaches and improve close rates.

Content evaluation survey

Content evaluation surveys assess the impact and effectiveness of marketing content, helping to refine content strategy and audience engagement.

Blog Feedback Survey : Obtain reader feedback to enhance content relevance and engagement.

Content Effectiveness Survey : Measure how well your content meets audience needs and supports your marketing goals.

Each survey type serves a specific purpose and, when utilized correctly, can provide valuable insights to inform business decisions and strategies. Whether you're looking to delve into market trends, evaluate customer satisfaction, or refine your content strategy, there's a survey designed to meet your needs.

Run online surveys with Survicate

Choosing the correct survey method is crucial for gathering useful data. Survicate offers a user-friendly survey platform that allows you to create and distribute surveys through email, on your website, in your product, and even on mobile devices.

With Survicate, you can easily collect feedback and turn it into insights that can help improve your business. Using our AI survey builder you can launch your first survey in seconds. Whether gauging customer satisfaction or adjusting product features, this tool assists you in making informed decisions and analyzing the insights you collect. It's straightforward to use and designed to provide valuable information efficiently.

So, why not give it a try? Sign up now , and take advantage of Survicate's 10-day free trial that unlocks all the Business Plan features . It's time to uncover the insights to steer your strategies toward success.

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What is survey research.

15 min read Find out everything you need to know about survey research, from what it is and how it works to the different methods and tools you can use to ensure you’re successful.

Survey research is the process of collecting data from a predefined group (e.g. customers or potential customers) with the ultimate goal of uncovering insights about your products, services, or brand overall .

As a quantitative data collection method, survey research can provide you with a goldmine of information that can inform crucial business and product decisions. But survey research needs careful planning and execution to get the results you want.

So if you’re thinking about using surveys to carry out research, read on.

Get started with our free survey maker tool

Types of survey research

Calling these methods ‘survey research’ slightly underplays the complexity of this type of information gathering. From the expertise required to carry out each activity to the analysis of the data and its eventual application, a considerable amount of effort is required.

As for how you can carry out your research, there are several options to choose from — face-to-face interviews, telephone surveys, focus groups (though more interviews than surveys), online surveys , and panel surveys.

Typically, the survey method you choose will largely be guided by who you want to survey, the size of your sample , your budget, and the type of information you’re hoping to gather.

Here are a few of the most-used survey types:

Face-to-face interviews

Before technology made it possible to conduct research using online surveys, telephone, and mail were the most popular methods for survey research. However face-to-face interviews were considered the gold standard — the only reason they weren’t as popular was due to their highly prohibitive costs.

When it came to face-to-face interviews, organizations would use highly trained researchers who knew when to probe or follow up on vague or problematic answers. They also knew when to offer assistance to respondents when they seemed to be struggling. The result was that these interviewers could get sample members to participate and engage in surveys in the most effective way possible, leading to higher response rates and better quality data.

Telephone surveys

While phone surveys have been popular in the past, particularly for measuring general consumer behavior or beliefs, response rates have been declining since the 1990s .

Phone surveys are usually conducted using a random dialing system and software that a researcher can use to record responses.

This method is beneficial when you want to survey a large population but don’t have the resources to conduct face-to-face research surveys or run focus groups, or want to ask multiple-choice and open-ended questions .

The downsides are they can: take a long time to complete depending on the response rate, and you may have to do a lot of cold-calling to get the information you need.

You also run the risk of respondents not being completely honest . Instead, they’ll answer your survey questions quickly just to get off the phone.

Focus groups (interviews — not surveys)

Focus groups are a separate qualitative methodology rather than surveys — even though they’re often bunched together. They’re normally used for survey pretesting and designing , but they’re also a great way to generate opinions and data from a diverse range of people.

Focus groups involve putting a cohort of demographically or socially diverse people in a room with a moderator and engaging them in a discussion on a particular topic, such as your product, brand, or service.

They remain a highly popular method for market research , but they’re expensive and require a lot of administration to conduct and analyze the data properly.

You also run the risk of more dominant members of the group taking over the discussion and swaying the opinions of other people — potentially providing you with unreliable data.

Online surveys

Online surveys have become one of the most popular survey methods due to being cost-effective, enabling researchers to accurately survey a large population quickly.

Online surveys can essentially be used by anyone for any research purpose – we’ve all seen the increasing popularity of polls on social media (although these are not scientific).

Using an online survey allows you to ask a series of different question types and collect data instantly that’s easy to analyze with the right software.

There are also several methods for running and distributing online surveys that allow you to get your questionnaire in front of a large population at a fraction of the cost of face-to-face interviews or focus groups.

This is particularly true when it comes to mobile surveys as most people with a smartphone can access them online.

However, you have to be aware of the potential dangers of using online surveys, particularly when it comes to the survey respondents. The biggest risk is because online surveys require access to a computer or mobile device to complete, they could exclude elderly members of the population who don’t have access to the technology — or don’t know how to use it.

It could also exclude those from poorer socio-economic backgrounds who can’t afford a computer or consistent internet access. This could mean the data collected is more biased towards a certain group and can lead to less accurate data when you’re looking for a representative population sample.

When it comes to surveys, every voice matters.

Find out how to create more inclusive and representative surveys for your research.

Panel surveys

A panel survey involves recruiting respondents who have specifically signed up to answer questionnaires and who are put on a list by a research company. This could be a workforce of a small company or a major subset of a national population. Usually, these groups are carefully selected so that they represent a sample of your target population — giving you balance across criteria such as age, gender, background, and so on.

Panel surveys give you access to the respondents you need and are usually provided by the research company in question. As a result, it’s much easier to get access to the right audiences as you just need to tell the research company your criteria. They’ll then determine the right panels to use to answer your questionnaire.

However, there are downsides. The main one being that if the research company offers its panels incentives, e.g. discounts, coupons, money — respondents may answer a lot of questionnaires just for the benefits.

This might mean they rush through your survey without providing considered and truthful answers. As a consequence, this can damage the credibility of your data and potentially ruin your analyses.

What are the benefits of using survey research?

Depending on the research method you use, there are lots of benefits to conducting survey research for data collection. Here, we cover a few:

1.   They’re relatively easy to do

Most research surveys are easy to set up, administer and analyze. As long as the planning and survey design is thorough and you target the right audience , the data collection is usually straightforward regardless of which survey type you use.

2.   They can be cost effective

Survey research can be relatively cheap depending on the type of survey you use.

Generally, qualitative research methods that require access to people in person or over the phone are more expensive and require more administration.

Online surveys or mobile surveys are often more cost-effective for market research and can give you access to the global population for a fraction of the cost.

3.   You can collect data from a large sample

Again, depending on the type of survey, you can obtain survey results from an entire population at a relatively low price. You can also administer a large variety of survey types to fit the project you’re running.

4.   You can use survey software to analyze results immediately

Using survey software, you can use advanced statistical analysis techniques to gain insights into your responses immediately.

Analysis can be conducted using a variety of parameters to determine the validity and reliability of your survey data at scale.

5.   Surveys can collect any type of data

While most people view surveys as a quantitative research method, they can just as easily be adapted to gain qualitative information by simply including open-ended questions or conducting interviews face to face.

How to measure concepts with survey questions

While surveys are a great way to obtain data, that data on its own is useless unless it can be analyzed and developed into actionable insights.

The easiest, and most effective way to measure survey results, is to use a dedicated research tool that puts all of your survey results into one place.

When it comes to survey measurement, there are four measurement types to be aware of that will determine how you treat your different survey results:

Nominal scale

With a nominal scale , you can only keep track of how many respondents chose each option from a question, and which response generated the most selections.

An example of this would be simply asking a responder to choose a product or brand from a list.

You could find out which brand was chosen the most but have no insight as to why.

Ordinal scale

Ordinal scales are used to judge an order of preference. They do provide some level of quantitative value because you’re asking responders to choose a preference of one option over another.

Ratio scale

Ratio scales can be used to judge the order and difference between responses. For example, asking respondents how much they spend on their weekly shopping on average.

Interval scale

In an interval scale, values are lined up in order with a meaningful difference between the two values — for example, measuring temperature or measuring a credit score between one value and another.

Step by step: How to conduct surveys and collect data

Conducting a survey and collecting data is relatively straightforward, but it does require some careful planning and design to ensure it results in reliable data.

Step 1 – Define your objectives

What do you want to learn from the survey? How is the data going to help you? Having a hypothesis or series of assumptions about survey responses will allow you to create the right questions to test them.

Step 2 – Create your survey questions

Once you’ve got your hypotheses or assumptions, write out the questions you need answering to test your theories or beliefs. Be wary about framing questions that could lead respondents or inadvertently create biased responses .

Step 3 – Choose your question types

Your survey should include a variety of question types and should aim to obtain quantitative data with some qualitative responses from open-ended questions. Using a mix of questions (simple Yes/ No, multiple-choice, rank in order, etc) not only increases the reliability of your data but also reduces survey fatigue and respondents simply answering questions quickly without thinking.

Find out how to create a survey that’s easy to engage with

Step 4 – Test your questions

Before sending your questionnaire out, you should test it (e.g. have a random internal group do the survey) and carry out A/B tests to ensure you’ll gain accurate responses.

Step 5 – Choose your target and send out the survey

Depending on your objectives, you might want to target the general population with your survey or a specific segment of the population. Once you’ve narrowed down who you want to target, it’s time to send out the survey.

After you’ve deployed the survey, keep an eye on the response rate to ensure you’re getting the number you expected. If your response rate is low, you might need to send the survey out to a second group to obtain a large enough sample — or do some troubleshooting to work out why your response rates are so low. This could be down to your questions, delivery method, selected sample, or otherwise.

Step 6 – Analyze results and draw conclusions

Once you’ve got your results back, it’s time for the fun part.

Break down your survey responses using the parameters you’ve set in your objectives and analyze the data to compare to your original assumptions. At this stage, a research tool or software can make the analysis a lot easier — and that’s somewhere Qualtrics can help.

Get reliable insights with survey software from Qualtrics

Gaining feedback from customers and leads is critical for any business, data gathered from surveys can prove invaluable for understanding your products and your market position, and with survey software from Qualtrics, it couldn’t be easier.

Used by more than 13,000 brands and supporting more than 1 billion surveys a year, Qualtrics empowers everyone in your organization to gather insights and take action. No coding required — and your data is housed in one system.

Get feedback from more than 125 sources on a single platform and view and measure your data in one place to create actionable insights and gain a deeper understanding of your target customers .

Automatically run complex text and statistical analysis to uncover exactly what your survey data is telling you, so you can react in real-time and make smarter decisions.

We can help you with survey management, too. From designing your survey and finding your target respondents to getting your survey in the field and reporting back on the results, we can help you every step of the way.

And for expert market researchers and survey designers, Qualtrics features custom programming to give you total flexibility over question types, survey design, embedded data, and other variables.

No matter what type of survey you want to run, what target audience you want to reach, or what assumptions you want to test or answers you want to uncover, we’ll help you design, deploy and analyze your survey with our team of experts.

Ready to find out more about Qualtrics CoreXM?

Get started with our free survey maker tool today

Related resources

Survey bias types 24 min read, post event survey questions 10 min read, best survey software 16 min read, close-ended questions 7 min read, survey vs questionnaire 12 min read, response bias 13 min read, double barreled question 11 min read, request demo.

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Home Market Research

Survey Research: Definition, Examples and Methods

Survey Research is a quantitative research method used for collecting data from a set of respondents. It has been perhaps one of the most used methodologies in the industry for several years due to the multiple benefits and advantages that it has when collecting and analyzing data.

LEARN ABOUT: Behavioral Research

In this article, you will learn everything about survey research, such as types, methods, and examples.

Survey Research Definition

Survey Research is defined as the process of conducting research using surveys that researchers send to survey respondents. The data collected from surveys is then statistically analyzed to draw meaningful research conclusions. In the 21st century, every organization’s eager to understand what their customers think about their products or services and make better business decisions. Researchers can conduct research in multiple ways, but surveys are proven to be one of the most effective and trustworthy research methods. An online survey is a method for extracting information about a significant business matter from an individual or a group of individuals. It consists of structured survey questions that motivate the participants to respond. Creditable survey research can give these businesses access to a vast information bank. Organizations in media, other companies, and even governments rely on survey research to obtain accurate data.

The traditional definition of survey research is a quantitative method for collecting information from a pool of respondents by asking multiple survey questions. This research type includes the recruitment of individuals collection, and analysis of data. It’s useful for researchers who aim to communicate new features or trends to their respondents.

LEARN ABOUT: Level of Analysis Generally, it’s the primary step towards obtaining quick information about mainstream topics and conducting more rigorous and detailed quantitative research methods like surveys/polls or qualitative research methods like focus groups/on-call interviews can follow. There are many situations where researchers can conduct research using a blend of both qualitative and quantitative strategies.

LEARN ABOUT: Survey Sampling

Survey Research Methods

Survey research methods can be derived based on two critical factors: Survey research tool and time involved in conducting research. There are three main survey research methods, divided based on the medium of conducting survey research:

• Online/ Email:   Online survey research is one of the most popular survey research methods today. The survey cost involved in online survey research is extremely minimal, and the responses gathered are highly accurate.
• Phone:  Survey research conducted over the telephone ( CATI survey ) can be useful in collecting data from a more extensive section of the target population. There are chances that the money invested in phone surveys will be higher than other mediums, and the time required will be higher.
• Face-to-face:  Researchers conduct face-to-face in-depth interviews in situations where there is a complicated problem to solve. The response rate for this method is the highest, but it can be costly.

Further, based on the time taken, survey research can be classified into two methods:

• Longitudinal survey research:  Longitudinal survey research involves conducting survey research over a continuum of time and spread across years and decades. The data collected using this survey research method from one time period to another is qualitative or quantitative. Respondent behavior, preferences, and attitudes are continuously observed over time to analyze reasons for a change in behavior or preferences. For example, suppose a researcher intends to learn about the eating habits of teenagers. In that case, he/she will follow a sample of teenagers over a considerable period to ensure that the collected information is reliable. Often, cross-sectional survey research follows a longitudinal study .
• Cross-sectional survey research:  Researchers conduct a cross-sectional survey to collect insights from a target audience at a particular time interval. This survey research method is implemented in various sectors such as retail, education, healthcare, SME businesses, etc. Cross-sectional studies can either be descriptive or analytical. It is quick and helps researchers collect information in a brief period. Researchers rely on the cross-sectional survey research method in situations where descriptive analysis of a subject is required.

Survey research also is bifurcated according to the sampling methods used to form samples for research: Probability and Non-probability sampling. Every individual in a population should be considered equally to be a part of the survey research sample. Probability sampling is a sampling method in which the researcher chooses the elements based on probability theory. The are various probability research methods, such as simple random sampling , systematic sampling, cluster sampling, stratified random sampling, etc. Non-probability sampling is a sampling method where the researcher uses his/her knowledge and experience to form samples.

LEARN ABOUT: Survey Sample Sizes

The various non-probability sampling techniques are :

• Convenience sampling
• Snowball sampling
• Consecutive sampling
• Judgemental sampling
• Quota sampling

Process of implementing survey research methods:

• Decide survey questions:  Brainstorm and put together valid survey questions that are grammatically and logically appropriate. Understanding the objective and expected outcomes of the survey helps a lot. There are many surveys where details of responses are not as important as gaining insights about what customers prefer from the provided options. In such situations, a researcher can include multiple-choice questions or closed-ended questions . Whereas, if researchers need to obtain details about specific issues, they can consist of open-ended questions in the questionnaire. Ideally, the surveys should include a smart balance of open-ended and closed-ended questions. Use survey questions like Likert Scale , Semantic Scale, Net Promoter Score question, etc., to avoid fence-sitting.

LEARN ABOUT: System Usability Scale

• Finalize a target audience:  Send out relevant surveys as per the target audience and filter out irrelevant questions as per the requirement. The survey research will be instrumental in case the target population decides on a sample. This way, results can be according to the desired market and be generalized to the entire population.

LEARN ABOUT:  Testimonial Questions

• Send out surveys via decided mediums:  Distribute the surveys to the target audience and patiently wait for the feedback and comments- this is the most crucial step of the survey research. The survey needs to be scheduled, keeping in mind the nature of the target audience and its regions. Surveys can be conducted via email, embedded in a website, shared via social media, etc., to gain maximum responses.
• Analyze survey results:  Analyze the feedback in real-time and identify patterns in the responses which might lead to a much-needed breakthrough for your organization. GAP, TURF Analysis , Conjoint analysis, Cross tabulation, and many such survey feedback analysis methods can be used to spot and shed light on respondent behavior. Use a good survey analysis software . Researchers can use the results to implement corrective measures to improve customer/employee satisfaction.

Reasons to conduct survey research

The most crucial and integral reason for conducting market research using surveys is that you can collect answers regarding specific, essential questions. You can ask these questions in multiple survey formats as per the target audience and the intent of the survey. Before designing a study, every organization must figure out the objective of carrying this out so that the study can be structured, planned, and executed to perfection.

LEARN ABOUT: Research Process Steps

Questions that need to be on your mind while designing a survey are:

• What is the primary aim of conducting the survey?
• How do you plan to utilize the collected survey data?
• What type of decisions do you plan to take based on the points mentioned above?

There are three critical reasons why an organization must conduct survey research.

• Understand respondent behavior to get solutions to your queries:  If you’ve carefully curated a survey, the respondents will provide insights about what they like about your organization as well as suggestions for improvement. To motivate them to respond, you must be very vocal about how secure their responses will be and how you will utilize the answers. This will push them to be 100% honest about their feedback, opinions, and comments. Online surveys or mobile surveys have proved their privacy, and due to this, more and more respondents feel free to put forth their feedback through these mediums.
• Present a medium for discussion:  A survey can be the perfect platform for respondents to provide criticism or applause for an organization. Important topics like product quality or quality of customer service etc., can be put on the table for discussion. A way you can do it is by including open-ended questions where the respondents can write their thoughts. This will make it easy for you to correlate your survey to what you intend to do with your product or service.
• Strategy for never-ending improvements:  An organization can establish the target audience’s attributes from the pilot phase of survey research . Researchers can use the criticism and feedback received from this survey to improve the product/services. Once the company successfully makes the improvements, it can send out another survey to measure the change in feedback keeping the pilot phase the benchmark. By doing this activity, the organization can track what was effectively improved and what still needs improvement.

Survey Research Scales

There are four main scales for the measurement of variables:

• Nominal Scale:  A nominal scale associates numbers with variables for mere naming or labeling, and the numbers usually have no other relevance. It is the most basic of the four levels of measurement.
• Ordinal Scale:  The ordinal scale has an innate order within the variables along with labels. It establishes the rank between the variables of a scale but not the difference value between the variables.
• Interval Scale:  The interval scale is a step ahead in comparison to the other two scales. Along with establishing a rank and name of variables, the scale also makes known the difference between the two variables. The only drawback is that there is no fixed start point of the scale, i.e., the actual zero value is absent.
• Ratio Scale:  The ratio scale is the most advanced measurement scale, which has variables that are labeled in order and have a calculated difference between variables. In addition to what interval scale orders, this scale has a fixed starting point, i.e., the actual zero value is present.

Benefits of survey research

In case survey research is used for all the right purposes and is implemented properly, marketers can benefit by gaining useful, trustworthy data that they can use to better the ROI of the organization.

Other benefits of survey research are:

• Minimum investment:  Mobile surveys and online surveys have minimal finance invested per respondent. Even with the gifts and other incentives provided to the people who participate in the study, online surveys are extremely economical compared to paper-based surveys.
• Versatile sources for response collection:  You can conduct surveys via various mediums like online and mobile surveys. You can further classify them into qualitative mediums like focus groups , and interviews and quantitative mediums like customer-centric surveys. Due to the offline survey response collection option, researchers can conduct surveys in remote areas with limited internet connectivity. This can make data collection and analysis more convenient and extensive.
• Reliable for respondents:  Surveys are extremely secure as the respondent details and responses are kept safeguarded. This anonymity makes respondents answer the survey questions candidly and with absolute honesty. An organization seeking to receive explicit responses for its survey research must mention that it will be confidential.

Survey research design

Researchers implement a survey research design in cases where there is a limited cost involved and there is a need to access details easily. This method is often used by small and large organizations to understand and analyze new trends, market demands, and opinions. Collecting information through tactfully designed survey research can be much more effective and productive than a casually conducted survey.

There are five stages of survey research design:

• Decide an aim of the research:  There can be multiple reasons for a researcher to conduct a survey, but they need to decide a purpose for the research. This is the primary stage of survey research as it can mold the entire path of a survey, impacting its results.
• Filter the sample from target population:  Who to target? is an essential question that a researcher should answer and keep in mind while conducting research. The precision of the results is driven by who the members of a sample are and how useful their opinions are. The quality of respondents in a sample is essential for the results received for research and not the quantity. If a researcher seeks to understand whether a product feature will work well with their target market, he/she can conduct survey research with a group of market experts for that product or technology.
• Zero-in on a survey method:  Many qualitative and quantitative research methods can be discussed and decided. Focus groups, online interviews, surveys, polls, questionnaires, etc. can be carried out with a pre-decided sample of individuals.
• Design the questionnaire:  What will the content of the survey be? A researcher is required to answer this question to be able to design it effectively. What will the content of the cover letter be? Or what are the survey questions of this questionnaire? Understand the target market thoroughly to create a questionnaire that targets a sample to gain insights about a survey research topic.
• Send out surveys and analyze results:  Once the researcher decides on which questions to include in a study, they can send it across to the selected sample . Answers obtained from this survey can be analyzed to make product-related or marketing-related decisions.

Survey examples: 10 tips to design the perfect research survey

Picking the right survey design can be the key to gaining the information you need to make crucial decisions for all your research. It is essential to choose the right topic, choose the right question types, and pick a corresponding design. If this is your first time creating a survey, it can seem like an intimidating task. But with QuestionPro, each step of the process is made simple and easy.

Below are 10 Tips To Design The Perfect Research Survey:

• Set your SMART goals:  Before conducting any market research or creating a particular plan, set your SMART Goals . What is that you want to achieve with the survey? How will you measure it promptly, and what are the results you are expecting?
• Choose the right questions:  Designing a survey can be a tricky task. Asking the right questions may help you get the answers you are looking for and ease the task of analyzing. So, always choose those specific questions – relevant to your research.
• Begin your survey with a generalized question:  Preferably, start your survey with a general question to understand whether the respondent uses the product or not. That also provides an excellent base and intro for your survey.
• Enhance your survey:  Choose the best, most relevant, 15-20 questions. Frame each question as a different question type based on the kind of answer you would like to gather from each. Create a survey using different types of questions such as multiple-choice, rating scale, open-ended, etc. Look at more survey examples and four measurement scales every researcher should remember.
• Prepare yes/no questions:  You may also want to use yes/no questions to separate people or branch them into groups of those who “have purchased” and those who “have not yet purchased” your products or services. Once you separate them, you can ask them different questions.
• Test all electronic devices:  It becomes effortless to distribute your surveys if respondents can answer them on different electronic devices like mobiles, tablets, etc. Once you have created your survey, it’s time to TEST. You can also make any corrections if needed at this stage.
• Distribute your survey:  Once your survey is ready, it is time to share and distribute it to the right audience. You can share handouts and share them via email, social media, and other industry-related offline/online communities.
• Collect and analyze responses:  After distributing your survey, it is time to gather all responses. Make sure you store your results in a particular document or an Excel sheet with all the necessary categories mentioned so that you don’t lose your data. Remember, this is the most crucial stage. Segregate your responses based on demographics, psychographics, and behavior. This is because, as a researcher, you must know where your responses are coming from. It will help you to analyze, predict decisions, and help write the summary report.
• Prepare your summary report:  Now is the time to share your analysis. At this stage, you should mention all the responses gathered from a survey in a fixed format. Also, the reader/customer must get clarity about your goal, which you were trying to gain from the study. Questions such as – whether the product or service has been used/preferred or not. Do respondents prefer some other product to another? Any recommendations?

Having a tool that helps you carry out all the necessary steps to carry out this type of study is a vital part of any project. At QuestionPro, we have helped more than 10,000 clients around the world to carry out data collection in a simple and effective way, in addition to offering a wide range of solutions to take advantage of this data in the best possible way.

From dashboards, advanced analysis tools, automation, and dedicated functions, in QuestionPro, you will find everything you need to execute your research projects effectively. Uncover insights that matter the most!

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• Doing Survey Research | A Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Doing Survey Research | A Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Published on 6 May 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 10 October 2022.

Survey research means collecting information about a group of people by asking them questions and analysing the results. To conduct an effective survey, follow these six steps:

• Determine who will participate in the survey
• Decide the type of survey (mail, online, or in-person)
• Design the survey questions and layout
• Distribute the survey
• Analyse the responses
• Write up the results

Surveys are a flexible method of data collection that can be used in many different types of research .

Table of contents

What are surveys used for, step 1: define the population and sample, step 2: decide on the type of survey, step 3: design the survey questions, step 4: distribute the survey and collect responses, step 5: analyse the survey results, step 6: write up the survey results, frequently asked questions about surveys.

Surveys are used as a method of gathering data in many different fields. They are a good choice when you want to find out about the characteristics, preferences, opinions, or beliefs of a group of people.

Common uses of survey research include:

• Social research: Investigating the experiences and characteristics of different social groups
• Market research: Finding out what customers think about products, services, and companies
• Health research: Collecting data from patients about symptoms and treatments
• Politics: Measuring public opinion about parties and policies
• Psychology: Researching personality traits, preferences, and behaviours

Surveys can be used in both cross-sectional studies , where you collect data just once, and longitudinal studies , where you survey the same sample several times over an extended period.

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Before you start conducting survey research, you should already have a clear research question that defines what you want to find out. Based on this question, you need to determine exactly who you will target to participate in the survey.

Populations

The target population is the specific group of people that you want to find out about. This group can be very broad or relatively narrow. For example:

• The population of Brazil
• University students in the UK
• Second-generation immigrants in the Netherlands
• Customers of a specific company aged 18 to 24
• British transgender women over the age of 50

Your survey should aim to produce results that can be generalised to the whole population. That means you need to carefully define exactly who you want to draw conclusions about.

It’s rarely possible to survey the entire population of your research – it would be very difficult to get a response from every person in Brazil or every university student in the UK. Instead, you will usually survey a sample from the population.

The sample size depends on how big the population is. You can use an online sample calculator to work out how many responses you need.

There are many sampling methods that allow you to generalise to broad populations. In general, though, the sample should aim to be representative of the population as a whole. The larger and more representative your sample, the more valid your conclusions.

There are two main types of survey:

• A questionnaire , where a list of questions is distributed by post, online, or in person, and respondents fill it out themselves
• An interview , where the researcher asks a set of questions by phone or in person and records the responses

Which type you choose depends on the sample size and location, as well as the focus of the research.

Questionnaires

Sending out a paper survey by post is a common method of gathering demographic information (for example, in a government census of the population).

• You can easily access a large sample.
• You have some control over who is included in the sample (e.g., residents of a specific region).
• The response rate is often low.

Online surveys are a popular choice for students doing dissertation research , due to the low cost and flexibility of this method. There are many online tools available for constructing surveys, such as SurveyMonkey and Google Forms .

• You can quickly access a large sample without constraints on time or location.
• The data is easy to process and analyse.
• The anonymity and accessibility of online surveys mean you have less control over who responds.

If your research focuses on a specific location, you can distribute a written questionnaire to be completed by respondents on the spot. For example, you could approach the customers of a shopping centre or ask all students to complete a questionnaire at the end of a class.

• You can screen respondents to make sure only people in the target population are included in the sample.
• You can collect time- and location-specific data (e.g., the opinions of a shop’s weekday customers).
• The sample size will be smaller, so this method is less suitable for collecting data on broad populations.

Oral interviews are a useful method for smaller sample sizes. They allow you to gather more in-depth information on people’s opinions and preferences. You can conduct interviews by phone or in person.

• You have personal contact with respondents, so you know exactly who will be included in the sample in advance.
• You can clarify questions and ask for follow-up information when necessary.
• The lack of anonymity may cause respondents to answer less honestly, and there is more risk of researcher bias.

Like questionnaires, interviews can be used to collect quantitative data : the researcher records each response as a category or rating and statistically analyses the results. But they are more commonly used to collect qualitative data : the interviewees’ full responses are transcribed and analysed individually to gain a richer understanding of their opinions and feelings.

Next, you need to decide which questions you will ask and how you will ask them. It’s important to consider:

• The type of questions
• The content of the questions
• The phrasing of the questions
• The ordering and layout of the survey

Open-ended vs closed-ended questions

There are two main forms of survey questions: open-ended and closed-ended. Many surveys use a combination of both.

Closed-ended questions give the respondent a predetermined set of answers to choose from. A closed-ended question can include:

• A binary answer (e.g., yes/no or agree/disagree )
• A scale (e.g., a Likert scale with five points ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree )
• A list of options with a single answer possible (e.g., age categories)
• A list of options with multiple answers possible (e.g., leisure interests)

Closed-ended questions are best for quantitative research . They provide you with numerical data that can be statistically analysed to find patterns, trends, and correlations .

Open-ended questions are best for qualitative research. This type of question has no predetermined answers to choose from. Instead, the respondent answers in their own words.

Open questions are most common in interviews, but you can also use them in questionnaires. They are often useful as follow-up questions to ask for more detailed explanations of responses to the closed questions.

The content of the survey questions

To ensure the validity and reliability of your results, you need to carefully consider each question in the survey. All questions should be narrowly focused with enough context for the respondent to answer accurately. Avoid questions that are not directly relevant to the survey’s purpose.

When constructing closed-ended questions, ensure that the options cover all possibilities. If you include a list of options that isn’t exhaustive, you can add an ‘other’ field.

Phrasing the survey questions

In terms of language, the survey questions should be as clear and precise as possible. Tailor the questions to your target population, keeping in mind their level of knowledge of the topic.

Use language that respondents will easily understand, and avoid words with vague or ambiguous meanings. Make sure your questions are phrased neutrally, with no bias towards one answer or another.

Ordering the survey questions

The questions should be arranged in a logical order. Start with easy, non-sensitive, closed-ended questions that will encourage the respondent to continue.

If the survey covers several different topics or themes, group together related questions. You can divide a questionnaire into sections to help respondents understand what is being asked in each part.

If a question refers back to or depends on the answer to a previous question, they should be placed directly next to one another.

Before you start, create a clear plan for where, when, how, and with whom you will conduct the survey. Determine in advance how many responses you require and how you will gain access to the sample.

When you are satisfied that you have created a strong research design suitable for answering your research questions, you can conduct the survey through your method of choice – by post, online, or in person.

There are many methods of analysing the results of your survey. First you have to process the data, usually with the help of a computer program to sort all the responses. You should also cleanse the data by removing incomplete or incorrectly completed responses.

If you asked open-ended questions, you will have to code the responses by assigning labels to each response and organising them into categories or themes. You can also use more qualitative methods, such as thematic analysis , which is especially suitable for analysing interviews.

Statistical analysis is usually conducted using programs like SPSS or Stata. The same set of survey data can be subject to many analyses.

Finally, when you have collected and analysed all the necessary data, you will write it up as part of your thesis, dissertation , or research paper .

In the methodology section, you describe exactly how you conducted the survey. You should explain the types of questions you used, the sampling method, when and where the survey took place, and the response rate. You can include the full questionnaire as an appendix and refer to it in the text if relevant.

Then introduce the analysis by describing how you prepared the data and the statistical methods you used to analyse it. In the results section, you summarise the key results from your analysis.

A Likert scale is a rating scale that quantitatively assesses opinions, attitudes, or behaviours. It is made up of four or more questions that measure a single attitude or trait when response scores are combined.

To use a Likert scale in a survey , you present participants with Likert-type questions or statements, and a continuum of items, usually with five or seven possible responses, to capture their degree of agreement.

Individual Likert-type questions are generally considered ordinal data , because the items have clear rank order, but don’t have an even distribution.

Overall Likert scale scores are sometimes treated as interval data. These scores are considered to have directionality and even spacing between them.

The type of data determines what statistical tests you should use to analyse your data.

A questionnaire is a data collection tool or instrument, while a survey is an overarching research method that involves collecting and analysing data from people using questionnaires.

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Understanding the 3 Main Types of Research Surveys

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Surveys play a vital role in collecting essential information. If you understand the different types of research surveys, you’ll be able to collect more meaningful data.

In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the fundamentals of three main survey types: exploratory, descriptive, and causal. We’ll give you insights into their distinct purposes, methodologies, and the unique benefits they offer.

Let's dive into the world of research surveys!

What are the three types of surveying?

In order to create surveys, you’re going to need a form creator. Google Forms is a simple tool, but if you need help creating one, check out our guide on creating a Google Form !

Exploratory surveys

This type of survey aims to explore a topic or problem broadly in an introductory manner. It’s conducted when there’s limited or no existing knowledge of the subject at hand.

Exploratory research aims to generate insights, ideas, and hypotheses rather than quantifying data or making conclusive statements. For this reason, open-ended questions are best for this kind of research.

Some key characteristics of this kind of research are:

• Flexible and Unstructured : It’s open-ended and flexible. It allows you to adapt your approach, methods, and questions as your gather data and gain insights.
• Qualitative Data: It generates qualitative data, such as descriptions, opinions, and perspectives. The data gathered can’t be quantified, meaning it can’t be measured.
• Small and Diverse Samples: These involve relatively small and diverse samples. The diversity of the sample pool can allow you to gather a range of perspectives and experiences regarding an area or topic.
• Hypothesis Generation: It helps generate a hypothesis rather than testing that hypothesis.
• In-depth and Detailed Analysis: It involves thorough analysis and exploration of a topic. The surveyor delves into the collected information, identifies recurring themes, and extracts meaningful insights to inform future research directions.

Benefits of exploratory surveys

With exploratory research, you can gain a deeper understanding of a relatively unexplored or poorly understood problem. You can generate new ideas and hypotheses while identifying areas that can be explored further.

Additionally, exploratory research allows you to gather diverse perspectives and identify the variables of a problem. This can help problem-solving by establishing relationships and patterns between variables.

Exploratory question examples

Exploratory surveys answer broad questions like “What factors influence consumers' decision-making when choosing a brand?” or “What are the key factors that drive brand loyalty among our existing customer base?”

Some open-ended questions that may be used to gain insights into these questions can be:

• Can you describe the factors influencing your decision when choosing a product or service in [specific industry]?
• Are there any particular emotions or feelings that play a role in your decision-making process?
• What role does brand reputation or trust play in your decision-making process?

Descriptive surveys

Rather than addressing a topic broadly, descriptive surveys aim to describe a topic or area in more detail. The primary purpose of descriptive surveys is to describe a particular phenomenon or group comprehensively.

To do that, these surveys typically use structured questionnaires with closed-ended questions to collect quantitative and conclusive data. The data collected is then analyzed and summarized using statistical measures such as frequencies, percentages, averages, or correlations.

Descriptive surveys are widely used in various fields, such as market research, social sciences, healthcare, and more. Some characteristics of descriptive surveys are:

• Objectives: Here, the aim is to describe and capture information about problems, behaviors, opinions, or attitudes of a sample.
• Quantitative Data: With the help of structured questionnaires based on closed-ended questions, you collect qualitative data that can be measured.
• Large Sample Sizes: You need a larger sample size to ensure that the data collected is representative of the sample.
• Statistical Analysis: The collected data is analyzed using statistical techniques to summarize the key findings.
• Representative Samples: You have to ensure the survey sample represents the target population as closely as possible so that your results are reliable and generally applicable.

Benefits of descriptive surveys

Unlike exploratory surveys, descriptive surveys ask closed-ended questions. This lets you gather information quickly and efficiently, giving you a clear picture of what's happening. As you use structured questionnaires with set answer options, it becomes easier to analyze and summarize the data as well. If you use Advanced Summary for Google Forms, this is even easier!

These surveys help you reach conclusions that can inform decision-making. Since the sample size is large and objective data is drawn, you can have confidence in the reliability of the results. Further, you can also be sure that the result is representative of the sample.

Descriptive question examples

This is the most widely found type of survey online. Customer satisfaction surveys, employee engagement surveys, demographic surveys, market research surveys, and event feedback surveys are all descriptive surveys that can have closed-ended questions on them like:

• Did our customer service team adequately resolve your issue? (Yes/No)
• Do you feel that your superiors value your opinions and ideas? (Yes/No)
• What is your age range? (18-24 / 25-34 / 35-44 / 45-54 / 55 and above)
• Overall, how satisfied were you with the event? (Very dissatisfied - Very satisfied)

Since most questions on a descriptive survey are closed-ended, it becomes crucial that responses are accurate and error-free. Sending respondents a copy of their responses is a great way to ensure the veracity of responses. This also ensures that respondents can alter their responses if an error occurs.

If you’re using Google Forms, you know that sending response summaries through Google Forms is possible. However, another way to take your response summaries to another level is to try Form Publisher with Google Forms.

Causal surveys

Causal surveys are research studies exploring cause-and-effect relationships between variables. They aim to determine whether changes in one variable directly influence another variable.

In a descriptive survey, factors aren’t manipulated, only recorded for description. But in a causal survey, specific factors are manipulated to see their effect on the overall outcome.

Some characteristics include:

• Experimental Design: Causal surveys often involve experimental designs, where participants are assigned to different groups.
• Manipulation of Variables: Independent variables are intentionally manipulated to observe their impact on a dependent variable.
• Control Group: These surveys typically include a control group that doesn’t receive the manipulated variable. It serves as a baseline for comparison.
• Randomization: To ensure unbiased results, participants in causal surveys are often randomly assigned to different groups.
• Quantitative Data Analysis: Causal surveys gather quantitative data, which is then statistically analyzed.
• Replication: To establish reliable findings, causal surveys sometimes have to be replicated with different samples or settings.

Benefits of causal surveys

These surveys enable researchers to draw conclusions about cause and effect, providing valuable insights into the influencing factors in various situations.

Causal question examples

Causal research can help establish cause and effect in such questions as:

• What is the effect of elevation on VO2 max in an individual?
• What is the effect of changing packaging on items sold?
• What is the effect of using children of [age] in advertising for [product]?

Organize your survey results better with Form Publisher!

There you have it! The three main types of research surveys and what they can help you achieve. If you’re conducting an online survey, you’re undoubtedly familiar with Google Forms, the most intuitive and efficient platform for creating forms and surveys .To further enhance your Google Forms experience, consider using Form Publisher to organize your survey process. Form Publisher is a Google Forms add-on that can create individual documents out of responses for you and also send personalized response summaries. Explore Form Publisher today!

• Survey Research: Types, Examples & Methods

Surveys have been proven to be one of the most effective methods of conducting research. They help you to gather relevant data from a large audience, which helps you to arrive at a valid and objective conclusion. 

Just like other research methods, survey research had to be conducted the right way to be effective. In this article, we’ll dive into the nitty-gritty of survey research and show you how to get the most out of it. 

What is Survey Research? 

Survey research is simply a systematic investigation conducted via a survey. In other words, it is a type of research carried out by administering surveys to respondents. 

Surveys already serve as a great method of opinion sampling and finding out what people think about different contexts and situations. Applying this to research means you can gather first-hand information from persons affected by specific contexts. 

Survey research proves useful in numerous primary research scenarios. Consider the case whereby a restaurant wants to gather feedback from its customers on its new signatory dish. A good way to do this is to conduct survey research on a defined customer demographic. 

By doing this, the restaurant is better able to gather primary data from the customers (respondents) with regards to what they think and feel about the new dish across multiple facets. This means they’d have more valid and objective information to work with. 

Why Conduct Survey Research?  

One of the strongest arguments for survey research is that it helps you gather the most authentic data sets in the systematic investigation. Survey research is a gateway to collecting specific information from defined respondents, first-hand.  

Surveys combine different question types that make it easy for you to collect numerous information from respondents. When you come across a questionnaire for survey research, you’re likely to see a neat blend of close-ended and open-ended questions, together with other survey response scale questions. 

Apart from what we’ve discussed so far, here are some other reasons why survey research is important: 

• It gives you insights into respondents’ behaviors and preferences which is valid in any systematic investigation.
• Many times, survey research is structured in an interactive manner which makes it easier for respondents to communicate their thoughts and experiences. 
• It allows you to gather important data that proves useful for product improvement; especially in market research. 

Characteristics of Survey Research

• Usage : Survey research is mostly deployed in the field of social science; especially to gather information about human behavior in different social contexts. 
• Systematic : Like other research methods, survey research is systematic. This means that it is usually conducted in line with empirical methods and follows specific processes.
• Replicable : In survey research, applying the same methods often translates to achieving similar results. 
• Types : Survey research can be conducted using forms (offline and online) or via structured, semi-structured, and unstructured interviews . 
• Data : The data gathered from survey research is mostly quantitative; although it can be qualitative. 
• Impartial Sampling : The data sample in survey research is random and not subject to unavoidable biases.
• Ecological Validity : Survey research often makes use of data samples obtained from real-world occurrences. 

Types of Survey Research

Survey research can be subdivided into different types based on its objectives, data source, and methodology. 

Types of Survey Research Based on Objective

• Exploratory Survey Research

Exploratory survey research is aimed at finding out more about the research context. Here, the survey research pays attention to discovering new ideas and insights about the research subject(s) or contexts. 

Exploratory survey research is usually made up of open-ended questions that allow respondents to fully communicate their thoughts and varying perspectives on the subject matter. In many cases, systematic investigation kicks off with an exploratory research survey. 

• Predictive Survey Research

This type of research is also referred to as causal survey research because it pays attention to the causative relationship between the variables in the survey research. In other words, predictive survey research pays attention to existing patterns to explain the relationship between two variables. 

It can also be referred to as conclusive research because it allows you to identify causal variables and resultant variables; that is cause and effect. Predictive variables allow you to determine the nature of the relationship between the causal variables and the effect to be predicted. 

• Descriptive Survey Research

Unlike predictive research, descriptive survey research is largely observational. It is ideal for quantitative research because it helps you to gather numeric data. 

The questions listed in descriptive survey research help you to uncover new insights into the actions, thoughts, and feelings of survey respondents. With this data, you can know the extent to which different conditions can be obtained among these subjects. 

Types of Survey Research Based on Data Source

• Secondary Data

Survey research can be designed to collect and process secondary data. Secondary data is a type of data that has been collected from primary sources in the past and is readily available for use. It is the type of data that is already existing.

Since secondary data is gathered from third-party sources, it is mostly generic, unlike primary data that is specific to the research context. Common sources of secondary data in survey research include books, data collected through other surveys, online data, data from government archives, and libraries. 

• Primary Data

This is the type of research data that is collected directly; that is, data collected from first-hand sources. Primary data is usually tailored to a specific research context so that reflects the aims and objectives of the systematic investigation.

One of the strongest points of primary data over its secondary counterpart is validity. Because it is collected directly from first-hand sources, primary data typically results in objective research findings. 

You can collect primary data via interviews, surveys, and questionnaires, and observation methods. 

Types of Survey Research Based on Methodology

• Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is a common research method that is used to gather numerical data in a systematic investigation. It is often deployed in research contexts that require statistical information to arrive at valid results such as in social science or science. 

For instance, as an organization looking to find out how many persons are using your product in a particular location, you can administer survey research to collect useful quantitative data. Other quantitative research methods include polls, face-to-face interviews, and systematic observation. 

• Qualitative Research

This is a method of systematic investigation that is used to collect non-numerical data from research participants. In other words, it is a research method that allows you to gather open-ended information from your target audience. 

Typically, organizations deploy qualitative research methods when they need to gather descriptive data from their customers; for example, when they need to collect customer feedback in product evaluation. Qualitative research methods include one-on-one interviews, observation, case studies, and focus groups. 

Survey Research Scales

• Nominal Scale

This is a type of survey research scale that uses numbers to label the different answer options in a survey. On a nominal scale , the numbers have no value in themselves; they simply serve as labels for qualitative variables in the survey. 

In cases where a nominal scale is used for identification, there is typically a specific one-on-one relationship between the numeric value and the variable it represents. On the other hand, when the variable is used for classification, then each number on the scale serves as a label or a tag. 

Examples of Nominal Scale in Survey Research 

1. How would you describe your complexion? 

2. Have you used this product?

• Ordinal Scale

This is a type of variable measurement scale that arranges answer options in a specific ranking order without necessarily indicating the degree of variation between these options. Ordinal data is qualitative and can be named, ranked, or grouped. 

In an ordinal scale , the different properties of the variables are relatively unknown, and it also identifies, describes, and shows the rank of the different variables. With an ordered scale, it is easier for researchers to measure the degree of agreement and/or disagreement with different variables. 

With ordinal scales, you can measure non-numerical attributes such as the degree of happiness, agreement, or opposition of respondents in specific contexts. Using an ordinal scale makes it easy for you to compare variables and process survey responses accordingly. 

Examples of Ordinal Scale in Survey Research

1. How often do you use this product?

• Prefer not to say

2. How much do you agree with our new policies? 

• Totally agree
• Somewhat agree
• Totally disagree
• Interval Scale

This is a type of survey scale that is used to measure variables existing at equal intervals along a common scale. In some way, it combines the attributes of nominal and ordinal scales since it is used where there is order and there is a meaningful difference between 2 variables. 

With an interval scale, you can quantify the difference in value between two variables in survey research. In addition to this, you can carry out other mathematical processes like calculating the mean and median of research variables. 

Examples of Interval Scale in Survey Research

1. Our customer support team was very effective. 

• Completely agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Somewhat disagree
• Completely disagree 

2. I enjoyed using this product.

Another example of an interval scale can be seen in the Net Promoter Score.

• Ratio Scale

Just like the interval scale, the ratio scale is quantitative and it is used when you need to compare intervals or differences in survey research. It is the highest level of measurement and it is made up of bits and pieces of the other survey scales. 

One of the unique features of the ratio scale is it has a true zero and equal intervals between the variables on the scale. This zero indicates an absence of the variable being measured by the scale. Common occurrences of ratio scales can be seen with distance (length), area, and population measurement. 

Examples of Ratio Scale in Survey Research

1. How old are you?

• Below 18 years
• 41 and above

2. How many times do you shop in a week?

• Less than twice
• Three times
• More than four times

Uses of Survey Research

• Health Surveys

Survey research is used by health practitioners to gather useful data from patients in different medical and safety contexts. It helps you to gather primary and secondary data about medical conditions and risk factors of multiple diseases and infections. 

In addition to this, administering health surveys regularly helps you to monitor the overall health status of your population; whether in the workplace, school, or community. This kind of data can be used to help prevent outbreaks and minimize medical emergencies in these contexts. 

Survey research is also useful when conducting polls; whether online or offline. A poll is a data collection tool that helps you to gather public opinion about a particular subject from a well-defined research sample.

By administering survey research, you can gather valid data from a well-defined research sample, and utilize research findings for decision making. For example, during elections, individuals can be asked to choose their preferred leader via questionnaires administered as part of survey research.

• Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is one of the cores of every organization as it is directly concerned with how well your product or service meets the needs of your clients. Survey research is an effective way to measure customer satisfaction at different intervals. 

As a restaurant, for example, you can send out online surveys to customers immediately when they patronize your business. In these surveys, encourage them to provide feedback on their experience and to provide information on how your service delivery can be improved. 

Survey research makes data collection and analysis easy during a census. With an online survey tool like Formplus , you can seamlessly gather data during a census without moving from a spot. Formplus has multiple sharing options that help you collect information without stress. 

Survey Research Methods

Survey research can be done using different online and offline methods. Let’s examine a few of them here.

• Telephone Surveys

This is a means of conducting survey research via phone calls. In a telephone survey, the researcher places a call to the survey respondents and gathers information from them by asking questions about the research context under consideration. 

A telephone survey is a kind of simulation of the face-to-face survey experience since it involves discussing with respondents to gather and process valid data. However, major challenges with this method include the fact that it is expensive and time-consuming. 

• Online Surveys

An online survey is a data collection tool used to create and administer surveys and questionnaires using data tools like Formplus. Online surveys work better than paper forms and other offline survey methods because you can easily gather and process data from a large sample size with them. 

• Face-to-Face Interviews

Face-to-face interviews for survey research can be structured, semi-structured, or unstructured depending on the research context and the type of data you want to collect. If you want to gather qualitative data , then unstructured and semi-structured interviews are the way to go. 

On the other hand, if you want to collect quantifiable information from your research sample, conducting a structured interview is the best way to go. Face-to-face interviews can also be time-consuming and cost-intensive. Let’s mention here that face-to-face surveys are one of the most widely used methods of survey data collection. 

How to Conduct Research Surveys on Formplus 

With Formplus, you can create forms for survey research without any hassles. Follow this step-by-step guide to create and administer online surveys for research via Formplus. 

1. Sign up at www.formpl.us to create your Formplus account. If you already have a Formplus account, click here to log in.

5. Use the form customization options to change the appearance of your survey. You can add your organization’s logo to the survey, change the form font and layout, and insert preferred background images.

Advantages of Survey Research

• It is inexpensive – with survey research, you can avoid the cost of in-person interviews. It’s also easy to receive data as you can share your surveys online and get responses from a large demographic
• It is the fastest way to get a large amount of first-hand data
• Surveys allow you to compare the results you get through charts and graphs
• It is versatile as it can be used for any research topic
• Surveys are perfect for anonymous respondents in the research 

Disadvantages of Survey Research

• Some questions may not get answers
• People may understand survey questions differently
• It may not be the best option for respondents with visual or hearing impairments as well as a demographic with no literacy levels
• People can provide dishonest answers in a survey research

Conclusion 

In this article, we’ve discussed survey research extensively; touching on different important aspects of this concept. As a researcher, organization, individual, or student, it is important to understand how survey research works to utilize it effectively and get the most from this method of systematic investigation. 

As we’ve already stated, conducting survey research online is one of the most effective methods of data collection as it allows you to gather valid data from a large group of respondents. If you’re looking to kick off your survey research, you can start by signing up for a Formplus account here. 

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Survey Research: Definition, Methods, Examples, and More

Table of Contents

What is Survey Research?

Survey research, as a key research method of marketing research, is defined as the systematic collection and analysis of data gathered from respondent feedback through questionnaires or interviews. This primary research method is designed to gather information about individuals' opinions, behaviors, or characteristics through a series of questions or statements. 

The evolution of survey research in market research has been profound, transitioning from paper-based questionnaires posted randomly to respondent’s homes to sophisticated online platforms that offer much more convenient ways to reach the desired audience. Its importance lies not just in the breadth of data it can collect but in the depth of understanding it provides, allowing researchers and businesses alike to tap into the psyche of their target audience.

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Ready for your next research study? Get access to our free survey research tool. In just a few minutes, you can create powerful surveys with our easy-to-use interface.

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Reasons for Conducting Survey Research

The reasons for conducting survey research are as diverse as the questions it seeks to answer, yet they all converge on a common goal: to inform decision-making processes. Here's why survey research is pivotal:

• Honest Feedback and Insights: Survey research offers a platform for respondents to provide candid feedback on products, services, or policies, providing businesses with critical insights into consumer satisfaction and areas for improvement.
• Privacy and Anonymity Benefits: By ensuring respondent anonymity, surveys encourage honest and uninhibited responses, leading to more accurate and reliable data.
• Providing a Platform for Criticism and Improvement Suggestions: Surveys open up a dialogue between businesses and their clientele, offering a structured way for criticism and suggestions to be voiced constructively.
• Iterative Feedback Loops: The iterative nature of survey research, with its ability to be conducted periodically, helps businesses track changes in consumer behavior and preferences over time, enabling continuous improvement and adaptation. This ongoing dialogue facilitated by survey research not only enriches the business-consumer relationship but also fosters an environment of continuous learning and improvement, ensuring that businesses remain agile and responsive to the evolving needs and expectations of their target audience.

Types of Survey Research Methods & Data Collection Methods

In the world of survey research a range of methods each offer unique advantages tailored to a researcher or businesses specific research goals.

Email Surveys

Email surveys represent a modern approach to data collection, utilizing email addresses stored on client databases to distribute questionnaires. This method is particularly appealing for its cost-effectiveness and efficiency, as it minimizes the financial expenditure associated with other methods. However, many businesses only hold email addresses relating to their current customer base, meaning that any studies performed using this approach will be limited in scope.

Online Panels

Online panels represent the most convenient form of online research. Panel companies source a wide variety of potential respondents which are available for any company to survey on a cost-per-interview (CPI) basis. However, this convenience comes with drawbacks as online panels are known for having potential data quality issues which are likely to impact the results of your survey if not guarded against.

Phone Surveys (CATI)

Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) combines the efficiency of computer-guided surveys with the personal touch of telephone communication. This method is advantageous for its ability to cover wide populations, including those in remote areas, ensuring a broader demographic reach. The direct interaction between the interviewer and respondent can also enhance response rates and clarity on questions. However, personal engagement comes at a cost, making CATI more time-consuming and expensive than online methods. 

Face-to-Face Interviews

The most traditional method, face-to-face interviews, involves direct, in-person interaction between the interviewer and the respondent. This approach is highly valued for its high response rates and the depth of insight it can provide, including non-verbal cues that offer additional layers of understanding. Although this method is resource-intensive, requiring significant investment in trained personnel and logistics, the quality of data obtained can be unmatched. 

Survey Research Timeframe Methods

Longitudinal Survey Research tracks the same group of respondents over time, offering invaluable insights into trends and changes in behaviors or attitudes. This method is ideal for observing long-term patterns, such as the impact of societal changes on individual behaviors. 

Cross-sectional / Ad-hoc Survey Research provides a snapshot of a population at a specific point in time, making it perfect for capturing immediate insights across various demographics. This method's versatility is showcased in applications ranging from consumer satisfaction surveys to public opinion polls, where understanding the current state of affairs is crucial. 

Each of these survey research methods brings its own strengths to the table, allowing researchers to tailor their approach to the specific nuances of their study objectives. By selecting the method that best aligns with their goals, researchers can maximize the effectiveness of their data collection efforts, paving the way for impactful insights and informed decision-making.

Uses and Examples of Survey Research

Survey research's versatility allows it to be applied across a myriad of fields, offering insights that drive decision-making and strategic planning. Its applications range from gauging public opinion and consumer preferences to evaluating the effectiveness of policies and programs.

Marketing Research

In marketing research, survey research is pivotal in understanding consumer behavior, preferences, and satisfaction levels. For example, a retail company may conduct online surveys to determine customer satisfaction with its products and services. The feedback collected can highlight areas of success and identify opportunities for improvement, guiding the company in refining its offerings and enhancing the customer experience.

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Political Polling

Political polling represents another significant application of survey research, providing insights into voter attitudes, preferences, and likely behaviors. These surveys can influence campaign strategies, policy development, and understanding of public sentiment on various issues. A notable instance is the use of survey research during electoral campaigns to track the popularity of candidates and the effectiveness of their messages.

Public Health Research

Public health studies frequently utilize survey research to assess health behaviors, awareness of health issues, and the impact of health interventions. For example, a cross-sectional survey might be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a public health campaign aimed at reducing smoking rates. The data gathered can inform health officials about the campaign's impact and guide future public health strategies.

Educational Research

Educational research also benefits from survey methods, with studies designed to evaluate educational interventions, student satisfaction, and learning outcomes. For instance, longitudinal surveys can track students' academic progress over time, providing insights into the effectiveness of educational programs and interventions.

These examples underscore the adaptability of survey research, enabling tailored approaches to collecting and analyzing data across various sectors. Its capacity to yield actionable insights makes it an invaluable tool in the pursuit of knowledge and improvement.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Survey research is a powerful tool in the arsenal of researchers, offering numerous advantages while also presenting certain challenges that must be navigated carefully.

Advantages of Survey Research

• Cost-Effectiveness: Survey research is often more affordable than other data collection methods, especially beneficial when targeting large populations.
• Large Sample Sizes: It enables the collection of data from a large sample size (audience), enhancing the generalizability of findings.
• Flexibility in Design: Surveys allow for customization in question formats, delivery methods, and structure, tailoring the approach to specific research needs.
• Ease of Administration: With options for online, mail, phone, and in-person surveys, administration can be adapted to best reach the target audience.
• Efficient Data Analysis: The quantitative nature of survey responses facilitates straightforward analysis using statistical software, aiding in the quick identification of trends and insights.

Disadvantages of Survey Research

• Response Bias: The potential for respondents to provide socially desirable answers rather than truthful ones can lead to biased data .
• Sampling Issues: Challenges such as non-response bias and difficulty in reaching certain populations can compromise the representativeness of the sample.
• Questionnaire Design Challenges: Crafting questions that are clear and unbiased while avoiding ambiguity is complex and can impact the validity of the results.
• Lack of Response Context: Surveys may not capture the nuances behind responses, limiting understanding of the reasons behind certain behaviors or opinions.
• Time and Resource Constraints: Designing, administering, and analyzing surveys can be resource-intensive, potentially limiting their scope and depth.
• Data Quality: The rise of survey panels has increased the likelihood of either poor quality responses, or even automated bots, affecting survey results.

Understanding these advantages and disadvantages is crucial for researchers as they design and implement survey research studies. By carefully considering these factors, it is possible to leverage the strengths of survey research while mitigating its limitations, ensuring the collection of valuable and actionable insights.

Survey Research Design Process

The design and execution of survey research involve several critical steps, each contributing to the overall quality and reliability of the findings. By following a structured process, researchers can ensure that their survey research effectively meets its objectives.

• Define Survey Research Objectives: The first step involves clearly defining what you aim to achieve with your survey. Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). This clarity guides the subsequent steps of the survey design process.
• Identify Your Target Audience: Knowing who you need to survey is crucial. The target audience should align with the research objectives, ensuring that the data collected is relevant and insightful.
• Select the Appropriate Method: Based on the objectives and the target audience, choose the most suitable survey method. Consider factors such as budget, time constraints, and the need for depth vs. breadth of data.
• Plan and Execute the Study: This involves crafting the survey questionnaire, deciding on the distribution method (online, mail, phone, face-to-face), and determining the timeline for data collection. Ensuring questions are clear, unbiased, and relevant is critical to gathering valuable data.
• Analyze Data and Make Decisions: Once data collection is complete, analyze the responses to identify trends, patterns, and insights. Use statistical software for quantitative analysis and consider qualitative methods for open-ended responses. The findings should inform decision-making processes, guiding strategic planning and interventions.

By following these steps, researchers can maximize the effectiveness and reliability of their survey research, paving the way for meaningful insights and informed decision-making.

Sampling Methods in Survey Research

A crucial aspect of survey research is selecting a representative sample from the target population . The sampling method plays a significant role in the quality and generalizability of the research findings. There are two main types of sampling methods: probability sampling and non-probability sampling.

• Probability Sampling: This method ensures every member of the target population has a known and equal chance of being selected. Types of probability sampling include simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, and cluster sampling. This method is preferred for its ability to produce representative samples, allowing for generalizations about the population from the sample data.
• Non-Probability Sampling: In non-probability sampling, not every member of the population has a known or equal chance of selection. This category includes convenience sampling, quota sampling, and purposive sampling. While less rigorous than probability sampling, non-probability methods are often used when time and resources are limited or when specific, targeted insights are required.

Choosing the right sampling method is critical to the success of survey research. For example, a market research firm aiming to understand consumer preferences across different demographics might use stratified random sampling to ensure that the sample accurately reflects the population's diversity. Conversely, a preliminary study exploring a new phenomenon might opt for convenience sampling to quickly gather initial insights.

Understanding the strengths and limitations of each sampling method allows researchers to make informed choices, balancing rigor with practical constraints to best achieve their research objectives.

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Survey research provides invaluable insights across diverse fields, from consumer behavior to public policy. Its flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and broad reach make it an indispensable tool for researchers aiming to gather actionable data. Despite its challenges, such as response bias and sampling complexities, careful design and methodological rigor can mitigate these issues, enhancing the reliability and validity of findings.

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18 Different Types of Survey Methods + Pros & Cons

There are many reasons why surveys are important. Surveys help researchers find solutions, create discussions, and make decisions. They can also get to the bottom of the really important stuff, like, coffee or tea? Dogs or cats? Elvis or The Beatles? When it comes to finding the answers to these questions, there are 18 different types of survey methods to use.

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18 Different Types of Survey Methods

Different surveys serve different purposes, which is why there are a number of them to choose from. “What are the types of surveys I should use,” you ask? Here’s a look at the 18 types of survey methods researchers use today.

1. Interviews

Also known as in-person surveys or household surveys, this used to be one of the most popular types of survey to conduct. Researchers like them because they involve getting face-to-face with individuals. Of course, this method of surveying may seem antiquated when today we have online surveying at our fingertips. However, interviews still serve a purpose. 

Researchers conduct interviews when they want to discuss something personal with people. For example, they may have questions that may require extensive probing to uncover the truth. Sure, some interviewees may be more comfortable answering questions confidentially behind a keyboard. However, a skilled interviewer is able to put them at ease and get genuine responses. They can often go deeper than you may be able to using other surveying methods. 

Often, in-person interviews are recorded on camera. This way, an expert can review them afterward. They do this to determine if the answers given may be false based on an interviewee’s change in tone. A change in facial expressions and body movements may also be a signal they pick up on. 

2. Intercept Surveys

While interviews tend to choose respondents and have controls in place, intercept surveys (or “man on the spot”) surveys are conducted at certain locations or events. This involves having an interviewer, or multiple interviewers, scoping out an area and asking people, generally at random, for their thoughts or viewpoints on a particular topic. 

3. Focus Groups

These types of surveys are conducted in person as well. However, focus groups involve a number of people rather than just one individual. The group is generally small but demographically diverse and led by a moderator. The focus group may be sampling new products, or to have a discussion around a particular topic, often a hot-button one. 

The purpose of a focus group survey is often to gauge people’s reaction to a product in a group setting or to get people talking, interacting—and yes, arguing—with the moderator taking notes on the group’s behavior and attitudes. This is often the most expensive survey method as a trained moderator must be paid. In addition, locations must be secured, often in various cities, and participants must be heavily incentivized to show up. Gift cards in the $75-100 range for each survey participant are the norm.   

4. Panel Sampling

Recruiting survey-takers from a panel maintained by a research company is a surefire way to get respondents. Why? Because people have specifically signed up to take them. The benefit of these types of surveys for research, of course, is there you can be assured responses. In addition, you can filter respondents by a variety of criteria to be sure you’re speaking with your target audience.

The downside is data quality. These individuals get survey offers frequently. So, they may rush through them to get their inventive and move on to the next one. In addition, if you’re constantly tapping into the same people from the same panel, are you truly getting a representative sample?

5. Telephone Surveys

Most telephone survey research types are conducted through random digit dialing (RDD). RDD can reach both listed  and  unlisted numbers, improving sampling accuracy. Surveys are conducted by interviewers through computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) software. CATI displays the questionnaire to the interviewer with a rotation of questions.  

Telephone surveys started in the 1940s. In fact, in a  recent blog , we recount how the predictions for the 1948 presidential election were completely wrong because of sampling bias in telephone surveys. Rising in popularity in the late 50s and early 60s when the telephone became common in most American households, telephone surveys are no longer a very popular method of conducting a survey. Why? Because many people refuse to take telephone surveys or simply are not answering calls from a number they don’t recognize.

6. Post-Call Surveys

If a telephone survey is going to be conducted, today it is usually a post-call survey. This is often accomplished through IVR, or interactive voice response. IVR means there is no interviewer involved. Instead, customers record answers to pre-recorded questions using numbers on their touch-tone keypads. If a question is open-ended, the interviewee can respond by speaking and the system records the answer. IVR surveys are often deployed to measure how a customer feels about a service they just received. For example, after calling your bank, you may be asked to stay on the line to answer a series of questions about your experience.

Most post-call surveys are either  NPS surveys  or customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys. The former asks the customer “How likely are you to recommend our organization to a f riend or family based on your most recent interaction?” while the CSAT survey asks customers “How satisfied are you with the results of your most recent interaction?”.   NPS survey results reflect how the customer feels about the brand, while CSAT surveys a re all about individual agent and contact center performance.   

7. SMS Text Surveys

Many people rarely using their phone to talk anymore, and ignore calls from unknown numbers. This has given rise to the SMS (Short Messaging Service) text survey. SMS surveys are delivered via text to people who have opted in to receive notifications from the sender. This means that there is usually some level of engagement, improving response rates. The one downside is that questions typically need to be short, and answers are generally 1-2 words or simply numbers (this is why many NPS surveys, gauging customer satisfaction, are often conducted via SMS text). Be careful not to send too many text surveys, as a person can opt-out just as easily, usually by texting STOP.

8. Mail-in Surveys / Postal Surveys

These are delivered right to respondents’ doorsteps! Mail surveys were frequently used before the advent of the internet when respondents were spread out geographically and budgets were modest. After all, mail-in surveys didn’t require much cost other than the postage. 

So are mail-in surveys going the way of the dinosaur? Not necessarily. They are still occasionally more valuable compared to different methods of surveying. Because they are going to a specific name and home address, they often feel more personalized. This personalization can prompt the recipient to complete the survey. 

They’re also good for surveys of significant length. Most people have short attention spans, and won’t spend more than a few minutes on the phone or filling out an online survey. At least, not without an incentive! However, with a mail-in survey, the person can complete it at their leisure. They can fill out some of it, set it aside, and then come back to it later. This gives mail-in surveys a relatively high response rate.

9. Kiosk Surveys

These surveys happen on a computer screen at a physical location. You’ve probably seen them popping up in stores, hotel lobbies, hospitals, and office spaces. These days, they’re just about anywhere a researcher or marketer wants to collect data from customers or passers-by.  Kiosk surveys  provide immediate feedback following a purchase or an interaction. They collect responses while the experience is still fresh in the respondent’s mind. This makes their judgment more trustworthy. Below is an example of a SurveyLegend kiosk survey at McDonald’s. The kiosk survey collects information, thanks the respondent for their feedback, and then resets for the next customer. Read how to  create your own kiosk survey here .

10. Email Surveys

Email surveys are one of the most effective surveying methods as they are delivered directly to your audience via their online account. They can be used by anyone for just about anything, and are easily customized for a particular audience. Another good thing about email surveys is you can easily see who did or did not open the survey and make improvements to it for a future send to increase response rates. You can also A/B test subject lines, imagery, and so on to see which is more effective. SurveyLegend offers dozens of different types of online survey questions, which we explore in our blog  12 Different Types of Survey Questions and When to Use Them (with Examples) .

11. Pop-up Surveys

A pop-up survey is a feedback form that pops up on a website or app. Although the main window a person is reading on their screen remains visible, it is temporarily disabled until a user interacts with the pop-up, either agreeing to leave feedback or closing out of it. The survey itself is typically about the company whose site or app the user is currently visiting (as opposed to an intercept survey, which is an invitation to take a survey hosted on a different site).

A pop-up survey attempts to grab website visitors’ attention in a variety of ways, popping up in the middle of the screen, moving in from the side, or covering the entire screen. While they can be intrusive, they also have many benefits. Read about the  benefits of pop-up surveys here .

12. Embedded Surveys

The opposite of pop-up surveys, these surveys live directly on your website or another website of your choice. Because the survey cannot be X’ed out of like a pop-up, it takes up valuable real estate on your site, or could be expensive to implement on someone else’s site. In addition, although the  embedded survey  is there at all times, it may not get the amount of attention a pop-up does since it’s not “in the respondent’s face.”

13. Social Media Surveys

There are more than  3.5 billion people  are using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost 4.5 billion in 2025. This makes social media extremely important to marketers and researchers. Using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the new Threads, many companies and organizations send out social media surveys regularly. Because people check their social media accounts quite regularly, it’s a good way to collect responses and monitor changes in satisfaction levels or popular opinion. Check out our blog on  social media surveys  for more benefits and valuable tips.

14. Mobile Surveys

Mobile traffic has now overtaken desktop computers as the most used device for accessing the internet, with more than 54% of the share. But don’t fret – you don’t have to create an entirely new survey to reach people on their phones or tablets. Online poll makers like SurveyLegend are responsive, so when you create a desktop version of a survey, it automatically becomes mobile-friendly. The survey renders, or displays, on any device or screen regardless of size, with elements on the page automatically rearranging themselves, shrinking, or expanding as necessary. Learn more about our  responsive surveys .

15. Mobile App Surveys

Today, most companies have a mobile app. These can be an ideal way to conduct surveys as people have to willingly download your app; this means, they already have a level of engagement with your company or brand making them more likely to respond to your surveys.

16. QR Code Surveys

QR Code or QRC is an abbreviation of “Quick Response Code.” These two-dimensional encoded images, when scanned, deliver hidden information that’s stored on it. They’re different from barcodes because they can house a lot more information, including website URLs, phone numbers, or up to 4,000 characters of text. The recent QR code comeback provides a good opportunity for researchers to collect data. Place the QR code anywhere – on flyers, posters, billboards, commercials – and all someone had to do is scan it with the mobile device to have immediate access to a survey. Read more about the  benefits of QR code surveys .

17. Delphi Surveys

A Delphi survey is a structured research method used to gather the collective opinions and insights of a panel of experts on a particular topic. The process involves several rounds of questionnaires or surveys. Each round is designed to narrow things down until a consensus or hypothyses can be formed. One of the key features of the Delphi survey research is that participants are unknown to each other, thereby eliminating influence.

18. AI Surveys

Artificial intelligence is the latest types of survey method. Using AI, researchers allow the technology to ask survey questions. These “Chatbots” can even ask follow-up questions on the spot based on a respondent’s answer. There can be drawbacks, however. If a person suspects survey questions are coming from AI, they may be less likely to respond (or may respond incorrectly to mess with the AI). Additionally, AI is not good with emotions, so asking sensitive questions in an emotionless manner could be off putting to people.  Read more about AI Surveys .

Online Surveys: Ideal for Collecting Data and Feedback

That’s not all. People can take online surveys just about anywhere thanks to mobile devices. The use of these devices across age groups is balancing out as well. Check out smartphone use by age group below.

With more and more people accessing the internet through their mobile devices, now you can reach teens while they’re between classes and adults during their subway commute to work. Can’t say that for those other types of surveys !

Online surveys are also extremely cost-efficient. You don’t have to spend money on paper, printing, postage, or an interviewer. This significantly reduces set-up and administration costs. This also allows researchers and companies to send out a survey very expeditiously. Additionally, many online survey tools provide in-depth analysis of survey data. This saves you from having to spend money on further research once the survey is complete. 

Researchers have their pick of options when it’s time to survey people. Which method you choose may depend upon cost, reach, and the types of questions.

Now, you may be wondering, “ Where can I make free surveys ?” You can get started with free online surveys using SurveyLegend! He re are a few things that make SurveyLegend the ideal choice for different types of surveys for research ( or for fun) .

• When it comes to surveys, brief is best to keep respondents attention. So, SurveyLegend automatically collects some data, such as the participant’s location, reducing the number of questions you have to ask.
• People like eye candy and many surveys are just plain dull. SurveyLegend offers beautifully rendered pre-designed surveys that will get your participant’s attention – and keep it through to completion!
• Today, most people take surveys on mobile devices. Often surveys desktop surveys don’t translate well, resulting in a high drop-off rate. SurveyLegend’s designs are responsive, automatically adjusting to any screen size.

What’s your favorite method of surveying people? (Hey… that’s a good topic for a survey!) Sound off in the comments!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The 10 most common survey methods are online surveys, in-person interviews, focus groups, panel sampling, telephone surveys, post-call surveys, mail-in surveys, pop-up surveys, mobile surveys, and kiosk surveys.

Benefits of online surveys include their ability to reach a broad audience and that they are relatively inexpensive.

Kiosk surveys are surveys on a computer screen at the point of sale.

A focus group is an in-person interview or survey involving a group of people rather than just one individual. The group is generally small but demographically diverse, and led by a moderator. 

Jasko Mahmutovic

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A Comprehensive Guide to Survey Research Methodologies

For decades, researchers and businesses have used survey research to produce statistical data and explore ideas. The survey process is simple, ask questions and analyze the responses to make decisions. Data is what makes the difference between a valid and invalid statement and as the American statistician, W. Edwards Deming said:

“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” - W. Edwards Deming

In this article, we will discuss what survey research is, its brief history, types, common uses, benefits, and the step-by-step process of designing a survey.

What is Survey Research

A survey is a research method that is used to collect data from a group of respondents in order to gain insights and information regarding a particular subject. It’s an excellent method to gather opinions and understand how and why people feel a certain way about different situations and contexts.

Brief History of Survey Research

Survey research may have its roots in the American and English “social surveys” conducted around the turn of the 20th century. The surveys were mainly conducted by researchers and reformers to document the extent of social issues such as poverty. ( 1 ) Despite being a relatively young field to many scientific domains, survey research has experienced three stages of development ( 2 ):

-       First Era (1930-1960)

-       Second Era (1960-1990)

-       Third Era (1990 onwards)

Over the years, survey research adapted to the changing times and technologies. By exploiting the latest technologies, researchers can gain access to the right population from anywhere in the world, analyze the data like never before, and extract useful information.

Survey Research Methods & Types

Survey research can be classified into seven categories based on objective, data sources, methodology, deployment method, and frequency of deployment.

Surveys based on Objective

Exploratory survey research.

Exploratory survey research is aimed at diving deeper into research subjects and finding out more about their context. It’s important for marketing or business strategy and the focus is to discover ideas and insights instead of gathering statistical data.

Generally, exploratory survey research is composed of open-ended questions that allow respondents to express their thoughts and perspectives. The final responses present information from various sources that can lead to fresh initiatives.

Predictive Survey Research

Predictive survey research is also called causal survey research. It’s preplanned, structured, and quantitative in nature. It’s often referred to as conclusive research as it tries to explain the cause-and-effect relationship between different variables. The objective is to understand which variables are causes and which are effects and the nature of the relationship between both variables.

Descriptive Survey Research

Descriptive survey research is largely observational and is ideal for gathering numeric data. Due to its quantitative nature, it’s often compared to exploratory survey research. The difference between the two is that descriptive research is structured and pre-planned.

 The idea behind descriptive research is to describe the mindset and opinion of a particular group of people on a given subject. The questions are every day multiple choices and users must choose from predefined categories. With predefined choices, you don’t get unique insights, rather, statistically inferable data.

Survey Research Types based on Concept Testing

Monadic concept testing.

Monadic testing is a survey research methodology in which the respondents are split into multiple groups and ask each group questions about a separate concept in isolation. Generally, monadic surveys are hyper-focused on a particular concept and shorter in duration. The important thing in monadic surveys is to avoid getting off-topic or exhausting the respondents with too many questions.

Sequential Monadic Concept Testing

Another approach to monadic testing is sequential monadic testing. In sequential monadic surveys, groups of respondents are surveyed in isolation. However, instead of surveying three groups on three different concepts, the researchers survey the same groups of people on three distinct concepts one after another. In a sequential monadic survey, at least two topics are included (in random order), and the same questions are asked for each concept to eliminate bias.

Based on Data Source

Primary data.

Data obtained directly from the source or target population is referred to as primary survey data. When it comes to primary data collection, researchers usually devise a set of questions and invite people with knowledge of the subject to respond. The main sources of primary data are interviews, questionnaires, surveys, and observation methods.

 Compared to secondary data, primary data is gathered from first-hand sources and is more reliable. However, the process of primary data collection is both costly and time-consuming.

Secondary Data

Survey research is generally used to collect first-hand information from a respondent. However, surveys can also be designed to collect and process secondary data. It’s collected from third-party sources or primary sources in the past.

 This type of data is usually generic, readily available, and cheaper than primary data collection. Some common sources of secondary data are books, data collected from older surveys, online data, and data from government archives. Beware that you might compromise the validity of your findings if you end up with irrelevant or inflated data.

Based on Research Method

Quantitative research.

Quantitative research is a popular research methodology that is used to collect numeric data in a systematic investigation. It’s frequently used in research contexts where statistical data is required, such as sciences or social sciences. Quantitative research methods include polls, systematic observations, and face-to-face interviews.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is a research methodology where you collect non-numeric data from research participants. In this context, the participants are not restricted to a specific system and provide open-ended information. Some common qualitative research methods include focus groups, one-on-one interviews, observations, and case studies.

Based on Deployment Method

Online surveys.

With technology advancing rapidly, the most popular method of survey research is an online survey. With the internet, you can not only reach a broader audience but also design and customize a survey and deploy it from anywhere. Online surveys have outperformed offline survey methods as they are less expensive and allow researchers to easily collect and analyze data from a large sample.

Paper or Print Surveys

As the name suggests, paper or print surveys use the traditional paper and pencil approach to collect data. Before the invention of computers, paper surveys were the survey method of choice.

Though many would assume that surveys are no longer conducted on paper, it's still a reliable method of collecting information during field research and data collection. However, unlike online surveys, paper surveys are expensive and require extra human resources.

Telephonic Surveys

Telephonic surveys are conducted over telephones where a researcher asks a series of questions to the respondent on the other end. Contacting respondents over a telephone requires less effort, human resources, and is less expensive.

What makes telephonic surveys debatable is that people are often reluctant in giving information over a phone call. Additionally, the success of such surveys depends largely on whether people are willing to invest their time on a phone call answering questions.

One-on-one Surveys

One-on-one surveys also known as face-to-face surveys are interviews where the researcher and respondent. Interacting directly with the respondent introduces the human factor into the survey.

Face-to-face interviews are useful when the researcher wants to discuss something personal with the respondent. The response rates in such surveys are always higher as the interview is being conducted in person. However, these surveys are quite expensive and the success of these depends on the knowledge and experience of the researcher.

Based on Distribution

The easiest and most common way of conducting online surveys is sending out an email. Sending out surveys via emails has a higher response rate as your target audience already knows about your brand and is likely to engage.

Buy Survey Responses

Purchasing survey responses also yields higher responses as the responders signed up for the survey. Businesses often purchase survey samples to conduct extensive research. Here, the target audience is often pre-screened to check if they're qualified to take part in the research.

Embedding Survey on a Website

Embedding surveys on a website is another excellent way to collect information. It allows your website visitors to take part in a survey without ever leaving the website and can be done while a person is entering or exiting the website.

Post the Survey on Social Media

Social media is an excellent medium to reach abroad range of audiences. You can publish your survey as a link on social media and people who are following the brand can take part and answer questions.

Based on Frequency of Deployment

Cross-sectional studies.

Cross-sectional studies are administered to a small sample from a large population within a short period of time. This provides researchers a peek into what the respondents are thinking at a given time. The surveys are usually short, precise, and specific to a particular situation.

Longitudinal Surveys

Longitudinal surveys are an extension of cross-sectional studies where researchers make an observation and collect data over extended periods of time. This type of survey can be further divided into three types:

-       Trend surveys are employed to allow researchers to understand the change in the thought process of the respondents over some time.

-       Panel surveys are administered to the same group of people over multiple years. These are usually expensive and researchers must stick to their panel to gather unbiased opinions.

-       In cohort surveys, researchers identify a specific category of people and regularly survey them. Unlike panel surveys, the same people do not need to take part over the years, but each individual must fall into the researcher’s primary interest category.

Retrospective Survey

Retrospective surveys allow researchers to ask questions to gather data about past events and beliefs of the respondents. Since retrospective surveys also require years of data, they are similar to the longitudinal survey, except retrospective surveys are shorter and less expensive.

Why Should You Conduct Research Surveys?

“In God we trust. All others must bring data” - W. Edwards Deming

 In the information age, survey research is of utmost importance and essential for understanding the opinion of your target population. Whether you’re launching a new product or conducting a social survey, the tool can be used to collect specific information from a defined set of respondents. The data collected via surveys can be further used by organizations to make informed decisions.

Furthermore, compared to other research methods, surveys are relatively inexpensive even if you’re giving out incentives. Compared to the older methods such as telephonic or paper surveys, online surveys have a smaller cost and the number of responses is higher.

 What makes surveys useful is that they describe the characteristics of a large population. With a larger sample size , you can rely on getting more accurate results. However, you also need honest and open answers for accurate results. Since surveys are also anonymous and the responses remain confidential, respondents provide candid and accurate answers.

Common Uses of a Survey

Surveys are widely used in many sectors, but the most common uses of the survey research include:

-       Market research : surveying a potential market to understand customer needs, preferences, and market demand.

-       Customer Satisfaction: finding out your customer’s opinions about your services, products, or companies .

-       Social research: investigating the characteristics and experiences of various social groups.

-       Health research: collecting data about patients’ symptoms and treatments.

-       Politics: evaluating public opinion regarding policies and political parties.

-       Psychology: exploring personality traits, behaviors, and preferences.

6 Steps to Conduct Survey Research

An organization, person, or company conducts a survey when they need the information to make a decision but have insufficient data on hand. Following are six simple steps that can help you design a great survey.

Step 1: Objective of the Survey

The first step in survey research is defining an objective. The objective helps you define your target population and samples. The target population is the specific group of people you want to collect data from and since it’s rarely possible to survey the entire population, we target a specific sample from it. Defining a survey objective also benefits your respondents by helping them understand the reason behind the survey.

Step 2: Number of Questions

The number of questions or the size of the survey depends on the survey objective. However, it’s important to ensure that there are no redundant queries and the questions are in a logical order. Rephrased and repeated questions in a survey are almost as frustrating as in real life. For a higher completion rate, keep the questionnaire small so that the respondents stay engaged to the very end. The ideal length of an interview is less than 15 minutes. ( 2 )

Step 3: Language and Voice of Questions

While designing a survey, you may feel compelled to use fancy language. However, remember that difficult language is associated with higher survey dropout rates. You need to speak to the respondent in a clear, concise, and neutral manner, and ask simple questions. If your survey respondents are bilingual, then adding an option to translate your questions into another language can also prove beneficial.

Step 4: Type of Questions

In a survey, you can include any type of questions and even both closed-ended or open-ended questions. However, opt for the question types that are the easiest to understand for the respondents, and offer the most value. For example, compared to open-ended questions, people prefer to answer close-ended questions such as MCQs (multiple choice questions)and NPS (net promoter score) questions.

Step 5: User Experience

Designing a great survey is about more than just questions. A lot of researchers underestimate the importance of user experience and how it affects their response and completion rates. An inconsistent, difficult-to-navigate survey with technical errors and poor color choice is unappealing for the respondents. Make sure that your survey is easy to navigate for everyone and if you’re using rating scales, they remain consistent throughout the research study.

Additionally, don’t forget to design a good survey experience for both mobile and desktop users. According to Pew Research Center, nearly half of the smartphone users access the internet mainly from their mobile phones and 14 percent of American adults are smartphone-only internet users. ( 3 )

Step 6: Survey Logic

Last but not least, logic is another critical aspect of the survey design. If the survey logic is flawed, respondents may not continue in the right direction. Make sure to test the logic to ensure that selecting one answer leads to the next logical question instead of a series of unrelated queries.

How to Effectively Use Survey Research with Starlight Analytics

Designing and conducting a survey is almost as much science as it is an art. To craft great survey research, you need technical skills, consider the psychological elements, and have a broad understanding of marketing.

The ultimate goal of the survey is to ask the right questions in the right manner to acquire the right results.

Bringing a new product to the market is a long process and requires a lot of research and analysis. In your journey to gather information or ideas for your business, Starlight Analytics can be an excellent guide. Starlight Analytics' product concept testing helps you measure your product's market demand and refine product features and benefits so you can launch with confidence. The process starts with custom research to design the survey according to your needs, execute the survey, and deliver the key insights on time.

• Survey research in the United States: roots and emergence, 1890-1960 https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/10733873    
• How to create a survey questionnaire that gets great responses https://luc.id/knowledgehub/how-to-create-a-survey-questionnaire-that-gets-great-responses/    
• Internet/broadband fact sheet https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/    

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7 Types of Survey Research Methods & When to Use Them

You rely on data in business for a simple reason; it helps you make informed decisions. The more information you have, up to a point, the higher the chance you’ll make the right decision. You can apply that simple insight of more information equals smarter decision-making to marketing, customer service, product development, or any other sector of your business.

There are many ways to gather data for your business. Too many to cover comprehensively in a single article, that’s for sure!

This guide will focus on several survey research methods. You’ll discover the pros and cons of each approach and learn the best time to use them in your outreach strategy.

In this article

1. Online surveys

2. in-person surveys, 3. focus groups, 4. panel sampling, 5. telephone surveys, 6. mail-in survey, 7. kiosk surveys, it’s time to get some feedback.

Online surveys are probably the most popular and widely used research method, certainly by small and medium-sized businesses. The main benefits of online surveys are threefold:

• Easy to run: there are lots of online survey platforms available. That gives you plenty of freedom to design an interesting survey and embed it however and to an extent, wherever you want.
• Easy to Analyze: the same software platforms will present the data nicely. That’s great for presenting your findings and analyzing the results.
• Cheap or almost free: you can run an online survey on a tiny budget. Assuming you have an email list or a site with lots of visitors, you should get respondents.

Lowering the cost and barrier to entry means many businesses manage online surveys independently. That’s a good thing. Below is an example of what an online survey may look like:

If you decide to run an online survey independently, take the time to research proper data collection methods. That’s a general thing to keep in mind for any survey research method on this list.

While online surveys are great, they do have their limitations. One of the biggest issues you’ll have is getting people to fill out your survey. Adding a survey to your site without context will result in a low number of respondents.

Ideally, you need to funnel people to your survey. 

When asking people to fill in an online survey, you should always:

• Explain the benefits for the respondent
• Share how long it will take to complete
• Share a link to your survey

If you find it difficult to run your online survey independently, you can always turn to a consulting company to run it for you. Alternatively, there are sites where you can list your survey for free or pay the business for a certain number of respondents.

Overall, online interviews are a great way to get a sense of market or customer sentiment. 

It’s important to note that acting and making changes in your processes and products based on data you collect from surveys is one of the things most companies running surveys forget to do. According to a recent study only 17% of companies act on customer insights they collect.

Don’t forget to actually make changes or draw conclusions based on the data you work so hard to collect.

If you want a more personal approach, try the face-to-face survey. Face-to-face interviews are a great survey research method. They are a good way to gain deep insights from the respondent rather than general insights into market trends.

With a face-to-face survey, it’s easier to gain an overall impression of the respondent.

You can pick up things from the tone of voice and facial expressions. You’re also more likely to get longer answers, plus you get to ask follow-up questions. Finally, with each survey you conduct, you’ll gain insights into how to improve your approach for the next time.

As with each of the survey research methods on this list, there are limitations to face-to-face surveys. The most obvious problem is the sample size. The more face-to-face surveys you do, the more time it will take you and the more expensive the research will become.

Another issue you’ll run into is keeping track of responses and analyzing data. Whereas online surveys track everything for you automatically, you’ll need to do this manually with in-person surveys. If you bring a tablet with you to your interviews, you can use Google Sheets as a database for tracking qualitative and quantitative responses and then visualize that data using Sheets’ charts and graphs features.

If your sample is highly targeted, consider using face-to-face surveys. For instance, such surveys might be the better option if you want to determine your staff’s perception of your brand. But if you want to know your customers’ perception of your brand, online surveys may be your best bet since that’s a larger sample.

A focus group is a small group of people you get together to discuss a particular topic or a product. One group typically has five to ten people. The discussion is often facilitated by a moderator who gauges the group’s reaction and collects responses. 

If you want to run a focus group, you should make sure your moderator will remain neutral throughout the discussions. They shouldn’t ask leading questions that may influence the answers of members of the group. 

But how can you ensure the neutrality of your moderator if humans are inherently biased? You can’t. But you can at least make them act like they are during focus group discussions for the sake of the study. Brief them and make them understand your research goal. The person you assign to be a moderator should also have the following traits and characteristics:

• They can listen attentively with sensitivity.
• They are someone members of the group can relate to but at the same time, someone who exudes authority. For example, a male moderator is more appropriate if members of the group are males discussing sexual harassment in the workplace. 
• They have adequate knowledge of the topic being discussed.
• They believe everyone has something to offer in the discussion.

Focus groups are one of the more expensive research methods. Companies typically pay $400 to $600 to each participant. Then there’s the amount you pay a trained moderator should you decide to hire one. 

Focus groups can be hard to organize. You need to collect a group of people together and get them in one place. Though, video conferencing tools like Zoom or Whereby mean you can run a focus group remotely nowadays.

Focus groups are great for getting detailed impressions from a representative group. If you want to look at customer behavior, attitudes, and even at perceptions of processes, this is a great method for you. 

You don’t need to be an offline company to use a focus group.

Fact of the day for you: Twitter used focus groups to come up with their platform. From the focus group discussions, they found people didn’t like Facebook’s cluttered news feed. They used that insight to come up with a more streamlined news feed for Twitter.

Panel sampling involves randomly choosing a group of people to be part of a panel that takes part in a study over time. Panel samples allow researchers to study changes within the population, your customer base, or changes in individual people.

Companies, for instance, use them to generate qualitative data on customer experience as the product develops over time. If you want to track customer happiness over time, you can use panel sampling as well. 

Panel sampling is a research method used more by sociologists than businesses. One of the major problems with panel sampling is attrition. It’s hard to keep the same people involved in your study over a period of months, or potentially longer.

Then there’s the fact that members of a panel tend to stick to the attitude or position they showed or expressed right from the start. So, they can end up misrepresenting the general population which they were supposed to represent in the first place. The general public’s attitudes and opinions, after all, are more likely to change over time because of external and internal factors. 

Telephone interviews are a popular and widely used survey research method. Here are three good reasons why companies use telephone surveys:

• Targeting: you can run surveys targeting a particular demographic of a population
• Sample Size: it’s possible to gather a lot of data in a short time period
• Cost: it’s affordable. Assuming you have access to relevant contact information

Telephone surveys are often used to gauge customer satisfaction or get a sense of trends. They’re effective because they combine some of the automated benefits of online surveys with some of the personal benefits of in-person surveys.

If you see a poll by Pew, Gallup, or any other big polling firms, there’s a good chance that the data was gathered from telephone surveys. Telephone polling is used a lot all over the world around elections.

If you have an idea for an interesting study, it could be worth contacting a polling company to conduct some research for you. A good study with some interesting insights could be the hook you need for a good PR story.

Thanks to Voice over IP (VoIP) technology, it’s a lot cheaper to run telephone surveys than it used to be. All you need is a VoIP phone service with features like call recording, call queues, and call routing. With that said, if you don’t have the in-house manpower to run a phone survey yourself, you’ll probably want to look at outsourcing this to an agency with a VoIP system and a proven track record.

Mail-in surveys are mailed to respondents by post. They’re relatively inexpensive, and you can target a large geographical area. According to the National Public Research , a medium-scale mail survey can cost at least $5,000. That’s far less than the $10,000 to $15,000 you’ll need at the very least for a telephone survey, for example.

Response rates for mail-in surveys are also surprisingly high compared to other survey research methods. According to the latest benchmark report on surveys, mail-in surveys have a response rate of 50%. It just goes to show that you shouldn’t overlook traditional marketing channels.

The high response rates may have to do with the fact that respondents can answer the survey at their own pace. Because respondents more or less have all the time in the world, they can give comprehensive answers to the questions. They can be honest with their opinions as well since people are typically more comfortable expressing what they think and feel in writing.

With mail-in surveys, however, follow-up questions are not possible. That’s why your questionnaire design should be good from the get-go. If your questions were vague from the start, and you didn’t get the answers you needed, you’ll have just wasted your time and effort in administering the survey. You’ll have wasted the respondent’s time, too.

The final and more niche option for gathering survey feedback is by using a kiosk survey. This is a survey on a computer screen located in physical locations such as offices, stores, lobbies, and hospitals. Kiosk survey research gathers instant feedback for a product or service.

Kiosk surveys are a good way to connect with local shoppers and residents. If you run a local business, it might be worth investing in this survey research method. It’s one way to get real-time feedback from your customers about their experience with your brand. You can then use the results of your survey to make the necessary adjustment to your strategies.

These types of surveys are becoming more and more popular at networking and business conferences. For example, a brand may set up a kiosk survey at their booth to gather reviews for their G2 or Capterra profiles.

This article reviewed the seven types of survey research methods. The survey research methods range from online surveys to face-to-face interviews and mail-in surveys. Each of these research methods has its advantages and disadvantages.

Ultimately, the method you choose depends on your desired outcome and budget constraints.

Consider using a combination of survey methods for more accurate data, too. For instance, if you want to determine qualitative and quantitative data on customer satisfaction, the telephone interview will work well with an online survey. Just determine your goals and the resources you have at your disposal. 

Pick that perfect combination that will generate the data you need to inform your business decisions. Your company will then be well on its way to success.

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Christopher Vasiliou

Christopher is the founder of Woorise , a marketing platform to create landing pages, forms, surveys, social promotions and more. An Adobe certified expert with 20+ years experience in marketing, web design, development and photography. When he is not in front of a screen he enjoys traveling, running and cooking.

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• Understanding the 3 Main Types of Survey Research & Putting Them to Use

Understanding the 3 Main Types of Survey Research & Putting Them to Use

Surveys establish a powerful primary source of market research. There are three main types of survey research; understanding these will not merely organize your survey studies, but help you form them from the onset of your research campaign.

It is crucial to be proficient in these types of survey research, as surveys should never be used as lone tools. A survey is a vehicle for granting insights, as part of a larger market research or other research campaigns. 

Understanding the three types of survey research will help you learn aspects within these forms that you were either not aware of or were not well-versed in.

This article explores the three main types of survey research and teaches you when to best implement each form of research. 

Putting the Types of Survey Research into Perspective 

With the presence of online surveys and other market research methods such as focus groups , there are ever-growing survey research methods . Before you choose a method, it is critical to decide on the type of survey research you need to conduct.

The type of survey research points to the kind of study you are going to apply in your campaign and all of its implications . The survey research type essentially hosts the research methods, which house the actual surveys . As such, the research type is one of the highest levels of the process, so consider it as a starting point in your research campaign.

Remember, that while there are various research types, the three presented in this article delineate the main types used in survey research. Researchers can apply these types to other research techniques (such as focus groups, interviews, etc.), but they are best suited for surveys.

Descriptive Research

The first main type of survey research is descriptive research. This type is centered on describing, as its name suggests, a topic of study. This can be a population, an occurrence or a phenomenon. 

Descriptive research is often the first type of research applied around a research issue, because it paints a picture of a topic, rather than investigating why it exists to begin with. 

The Key Aspects of Descriptive Research

The following provides the key attributes of descriptive research, so as to provide a full understanding of it.

• Makes up the majority of online survey methods.
• Concentrates on the what, when, where and how questions, rather than the why.
• Lays out the particulars surrounding a research topic, but not its origin.
• Handles quantitative studies.
• Deemed conclusive due to its quantitative data.
• Provides data that provides statistical inferences on a target population.
• Preplanned and highly structured.
• Aims to define an occurrence, attitude or opinions of the studied population.
• Measures the significance of the results and formulates trends.
• Can be used in cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys.

Survey Examples of Descriptive Research 

There are various types of surveys to use for descriptive research. In fact, you can apply virtually all of them if they meet the above requirements. Here are the major ones:

• Descriptive surveys: These gather data about different subjects. They are set to find how different conditions can be gained by the subjects and the extent thereof. Ex: determining how qualified applicants are to a job are via a survey checking for this.
• Descriptive-normative surveys: Much like descriptive surveys, but the results of the survey are compared with a norm. 
• Descriptive analysis surveys: This survey describes a phenomenon via an analysis that divides the subject into 2 parts. Ex: analyzing employees with the same job role across geolocations. 
• Correlative Survey: This determines whether the relationship between 2 variables is either positive or negative; sometimes it can be used to find neutrality. For example, if A and B have negative, positive or no correlation.

Exploratory Research 

Exploratory research is predicated on unearthing ideas and insights rather than amassing statistics. Also unlike descriptive research, exploratory research is not conclusive. This is because this research is conducted to obtain a better understanding of an existing phenomenon, one that has either not been studied thoroughly or is lacking some information.

Exploratory research is most apt to use at the beginning of a research campaign. In business, this kind of research is necessary for identifying issues within a company, opportunities for growth, adopting new procedures and deciding on which issues require statistical research, i.e., descriptive research. 

The Key Aspects of Exploratory Research

Also called interpretative research or grounded theory approach, the following provides the key attributes of exploratory research, including how it differs from descriptive research. 

• Uses exploratory questions, which are intended to probe subjects in a qualitative manner.
• Provides quality information that can uncover other unknown issues or solutions.
• Is not meant to provide data that is statistically measurable. 
• Used to get a familiarity with an existing problem by understanding its specifics.
• Starts with a general idea with the outcomes of the research being used to find related issues with the research subject.
• Typically exists within open-ended questions.  
• Its process varies based on the new insights researchers gain and how they choose to go about them.
• Usually asks for the what, how and most distinctively, the why.
• Due to the absence of past research on the subject, exploratory research is time-consuming,
• Not structured and flexible.

Examples of Exploratory Research

Since exploratory research is not structured and often scattered, it can exist within a multitude of survey types. For example, it can be used in an employee feedback survey, a cross-sectional survey and virtually any other that allows you to ask questions on the why and employs open-ended questions. 

Here are a few other ways to conduct exploratory research:

• Case studies: They help researchers analyze existing cases that deal with a similar phenomenon. This method often involves secondary research , unless your business or organization has case studies on a similar topic. Perhaps one of your competitors offers one as well. With case studies, the researcher needs to study all the variables in the case study in relation to their own. 
• Field Observations: This method is best suited for researchers who deal with their subjects in physical environments, for example, those studying customers in a store or patients in a clinic. It can also be applied by studying digital behaviors using a session replay tool. 
• Focus Groups: This involves a group of people, typically 6-10 coming together and speaking with the researcher, as opposed to having a one on one conversation with the researcher. Participants are chosen to provide insights on the topic of study and express it with other members of the focus group, while the researcher observes and acts as a moderator. 
• Interviews : Interviews can be conducted in person or over the phone. Researchers have the option of interviewing their target market, their overall target population, or subject matter experts. The latter will provide significant and professional-grade insights, the kind that non-experts typically can’t offer. 

Causal Research

The final type of survey research is causal research, which, much like descriptive research is structured, preplanned and draws quantitative insights. Also called explanatory research, causal research aims to discover whether there is any causality between the relationships of variables. 

As such, focuses primarily on cause-and-effect relationships. In this regard, it stands in opposition with descriptive research, which is far broader. Causal research has only two objects:

• Understand which variable are the cause and which are the effect
• Decipher the workings of the relationship between the causal variables, including how they will hammer out the effect.

The Key Aspects of Causal Research

The following provides the key traits of causal research, including how it differs from descriptive and exploratory research. 

• Considered conclusive research due to its structured design, preplanning and quantitative nature. 
• Its two objectives make this research type more scientific than exploratory and descriptive research. 
• Focuses on observing the variations in variables suspected as causing the changes in other variables.
• Measure changes in both the suspected causal variables and the ones they affect.
• Variables suspected of being causal are isolated and tested to meet the aforesaid two objectives.
• For example, an advertisement or a sales promotion
• Requires setting objectives, preplanning parameters, and identifying potential causal variables and affected variables to reduce researcher bias. 
• Requires accounting for all the possible causal factors that may be affecting the supposed affected variable, i.e., there can’t be any outside (non-accounted) variables.
• All confounding variables that can affect the results have to be kept consistent and controlled to make sure no hidden variable is in any way influencing the relationship between two variables. 
• To deem a cause and effect relationship, the cause would have needed to precede the effect.  

Examples of Causal Research

Causal research depends on the most scientific method out of the three types of survey research. Given that it requires experimentation, a vast amount of surveys can be conducted on the variables to determine if they are causal, non-causal or the ones being affected.

Here are a few examples of use causal research

• Product testing: Particularly useful if it’s a new product to test market demand and sales capacity. 
• Advertising Improvements: Researchers can study buying behaviors to see if there is any causality between ads and how much people buy or if the advertised products reach higher sales. The outcomes of this research can help marketers tweak their ad campaigns, discard them altogether or even consider product updates.
• Increase customer retention : This can be conducted in different manners, such as via in-store experimentations, via digital shopping or through different surveys. These experiments will help you understand what current customers prefer and what repels them. 
• Community Needs : Local governments can conduct the community survey to discover opinions surrounding community issues. For example, researchers can test whether certain local laws, transportation availability and authorizations are well or poorly received and if they correlate with certain happenings.

Deciding on Which of the Types of Research to Conduct

Market researchers and marketers often have several aspects of their discipline that would benefit off of conducting these three types of survey research. What’s most empowering about these types of survey research is that they are not limited to surveys alone.

Instead, they bolster the idea that surveys should not be used as lone tools. Rather, survey research powers an abundance of other market research methods and campaigns. As such, researchers should set aside surveys after they’ve decided on high-level campaigns and their needs.

As such, consider the core of what you need to study. Can your survey be applied to a macro-application? For example, in the business sector, this can be marketing, branding, advertising, etc.

Next, does your study require a methodical approach? For example, does it need to focus on one period of time among one population? If so, you will need to conduct a cross-sectional survey. 

Or does it require to be conducted over some period of time? This will require implementing a longitudinal study. Once you figure out these components, you should move on to choosing the type of survey research you’re going to conduct. However, you can also decide on this before you choose one of the methodical methods. 

Whichever route you decide to take, you’ll need a strong online survey provider, as this does, after all, involve surveys. The correct online survey platform will set your research up for success.  

Frequently asked questions

Why is it important to understand the types of survey research.

The type of survey research informs the kind of study you’ll be conducting. It becomes the backbone of your campaign and all its implications. Basically, the types of survey research host their designated research methods, which house the surveys. Therefore, the types of survey research you decide on are at the highest level of the research process and act as your starting point.

What is exploratory research?

Exploratory research is the most preliminary form of research, establishing the foundation of a research process. focuses on unearthing ideas and insights rather than gathering statistics. It’s not a conclusive form of research-- rather, it is conducted to bolster understanding of a specific phenomenon. It is typically the first form of research, setting the foundation for a research campaign.

What is descriptive research?

Descriptive research focuses on describing a topic of study like a population, an occurrence or a phenomenon. It is performed early on in the overall research process, as it paints an overall picture of a topic, while extracting the key details that you wouldn’t find with exploratory research alone.

What is a cross-sectional survey?

A cross-sectional survey is a survey used to gather research about a particular population at a specific point in time. It is considered to be the snapshot of a studied population.

What is causal research?

Causal research is typically performed in the latter stages of the entire research process, following correlational or descriptive research. It is conducted to find the causality between variables. It involves more than merely observing, as it relies on experiments and the manipulation of variables

How can you decide which types of survey research to conduct?

Take a look at the core of what you need to study. Are you trying to focus on one period of time among a population? Does your survey research need to be conducted over a period of time? Questions like these will lead you to the right research type.

Do you want to distribute your survey? Pollfish offers you access to millions of targeted consumers to get survey responses from $0.95 per complete. Launch your survey today.

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A quick guide to survey research

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2 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust,, UK

Questionnaires are a very useful survey tool that allow large populations to be assessed with relative ease. Despite a widespread perception that surveys are easy to conduct, in order to yield meaningful results, a survey needs extensive planning, time and effort. In this article, we aim to cover the main aspects of designing, implementing and analysing a survey as well as focusing on techniques that would improve response rates.

Medical research questionnaires or surveys are vital tools used to gather information on individual perspectives in a large cohort. Within the medical realm, there are three main types of survey: epidemiological surveys, surveys on attitudes to a health service or intervention and questionnaires assessing knowledge on a particular issue or topic. 1

Despite a widespread perception that surveys are easy to conduct, in order to yield meaningful results, a survey needs extensive planning, time and effort. In this article, we aim to cover the main aspects of designing, implementing and analysing a survey as well as focusing on techniques that would improve response rates.

Clear research goal

The first and most important step in designing a survey is to have a clear idea of what you are looking for. It will always be tempting to take a blanket approach and ask as many questions as possible in the hope of getting as much information as possible. This type of approach does not work as asking too many irrelevant or incoherent questions reduces the response rate 2 and therefore reduces the power of the study. This is especially important when surveying physicians as they often have a lower response rate than the rest of the population. 3 Instead, you must carefully consider the important data you will be using and work on a ‘need to know’ rather than a ‘would be nice to know’ model. 4

After considering the question you are trying to answer, deciding whom you are going to ask is the next step. With small populations, attempting to survey them all is manageable but as your population gets bigger, a sample must be taken. The size of this sample is more important than you might expect. After lost questionnaires, non-responders and improper answers are taken into account, this sample must still be big enough to be representative of the entire population. If it is not big enough, the power of your statistics will drop and you may not get any meaningful answers at all. It is for this reason that getting a statistician involved in your study early on is absolutely crucial. Data should not be collected until you know what you are going to do with them.

Directed questions

After settling on your research goal and beginning to design a questionnaire, the main considerations are the method of data collection, the survey instrument and the type of question you are going to ask. Methods of data collection include personal interviews, telephone, postal or electronic ( Table 1 ).

Advantages and disadvantages of survey methods

Collected data are only useful if they convey information accurately and consistently about the topic in which you are interested. This is where a validated survey instrument comes in to the questionnaire design. Validated instruments are those that have been extensively tested and are correctly calibrated to their target. They can therefore be assumed to be accurate. 1 It may be possible to modify a previously validated instrument but you should seek specialist advice as this is likely to reduce its power. Examples of validated models are the Beck Hopelessness Scale 5 or the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination. 6

The next step is choosing the type of question you are going to ask. The questionnaire should be designed to answer the question you want answered. Each question should be clear, concise and without bias. Normalising statements should be included and the language level targeted towards those at the lowest educational level in your cohort. 1 You should avoid open, double barrelled questions and those questions that include negative items and assign causality. 1 The questions you use may elicit either an open (free text answer) or closed response. Open responses are more flexible but require more time and effort to analyse, whereas closed responses require more initial input in order to exhaust all possible options but are easier to analyse and present.

Questionnaire

Two more aspects come into questionnaire design: aesthetics and question order. While this is not relevant to telephone or personal questionnaires, in self-administered surveys the aesthetics of the questionnaire are crucial. Having spent a large amount of time fine-tuning your questions, presenting them in such a way as to maximise response rates is pivotal to obtaining good results. Visual elements to think of include smooth, simple and symmetrical shapes, soft colours and repetition of visual elements. 7

Once you have attracted your subject’s attention and willingness with a well designed and attractive survey, the order in which you put your questions is critical. To do this you should focus on what you need to know; start by placing easier, important questions at the beginning, group common themes in the middle and keep questions on demographics to near the end. The questions should be arrayed in a logical order, questions on the same topic close together and with sensible sections if long enough to warrant them. Introductory and summary questions to mark the start and end of the survey are also helpful.

Pilot study

Once a completed survey has been compiled, it needs to be tested. The ideal next step should highlight spelling errors, ambiguous questions and anything else that impairs completion of the questionnaire. 8 A pilot study, in which you apply your work to a small sample of your target population in a controlled setting, may highlight areas in which work still needs to be done. Where possible, being present while the pilot is going on will allow a focus group-type atmosphere in which you can discuss aspects of the survey with those who are going to be filling it in. This step may seem non-essential but detecting previously unconsidered difficulties needs to happen as early as possible and it is important to use your participants’ time wisely as they are unlikely to give it again.

Distribution and collection

While it should be considered quite early on, we will now discuss routes of survey administration and ways to maximise results. Questionnaires can be self-administered electronically or by post, or administered by a researcher by telephone or in person. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are summarised in Table 1 . Telephone and personal surveys are very time and resource consuming whereas postal and electronic surveys suffer from low response rates and response bias. Your route should be chosen with care.

Methods for maximising response rates for self-administered surveys are listed in Table 2 , taken from a Cochrane review.2 The differences between methods of maximising responses to postal or e-surveys are considerable but common elements include keeping the questionnaire short and logical as well as including incentives.

Methods for improving response rates in postal and electronic questionnaires 2

• – Involve a statistician early on.
• – Run a pilot study to uncover problems.
• – Consider using a validated instrument.
• – Only ask what you ‘need to know’.
• – Consider guidelines on improving response rates.

The collected data will come in a number of forms depending on the method of collection. Data from telephone or personal interviews can be directly entered into a computer database whereas postal data can be entered at a later stage. Electronic questionnaires can allow responses to go directly into a computer database. Problems arise from errors in data entry and when questionnaires are returned with missing data fields. As mentioned earlier, it is essential to have a statistician involved from the beginning for help with data analysis. He or she will have helped to determine the sample size required to ensure your study has enough power. The statistician can also suggest tests of significance appropriate to your survey, such as Student’s t-test or the chi-square test.

Conclusions

Survey research is a unique way of gathering information from a large cohort. Advantages of surveys include having a large population and therefore a greater statistical power, the ability to gather large amounts of information and having the availability of validated models. However, surveys are costly, there is sometimes discrepancy in recall accuracy and the validity of a survey depends on the response rate. Proper design is vital to enable analysis of results and pilot studies are critical to this process.

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9 Types of Survey Methods and How They Work

Kate William

Last Updated: 30 May 2024

16 min read

Table Of Contents

• What is a survey method?
• Types of survey methods

1. Online Survey Method

2. face-to-face surveys, 3. focus groups, 4. panel sampling.

• 5. Phone Survey

6. Mail Surveys

7. kiosk surveys, 8. paper surveys, 9. sms surveys, how to choose the apt survey method.

Different types of survey methods help provide different kinds of information or insights that you seek.

Perhaps you need to take an important strategic decision, and every informed decision needs data. Maybe you want to know what your customers think of your new products. Or, what do your employees feel about your workplace? Or even: who’s likely to win the next election?

You can’t gaze into a crystal ball for the answers. But you can choose from different types of survey methods.

What is a survey method ?

In short, the survey method generally refers to the process used to gather data. It influences the exchange of ideas and information between the researcher and participants. 

There are many ways to deploy surveys. To elaborate, surveys help us to shape the future with first-hand data from the present. But to successfully achieve your survey purpose, you must choose an apt survey method. 

Choosing the right survey research method depends on your objective, timeline, budget, and sample. There are two broad categories of survey methods: qualitative and quantitative .

Let’s look at the different types of survey methods to help you choose the one right for you.

Types of Survey Methods

• Online Survey Method
• Face-to-Face Surveys
• Focus Groups
• Panel Sampling
• Phone Survey
• Mail Surveys
• Kiosk Surveys
• Paper Surveys
• SMS Surveys

For good reason, online surveys are among the most popular types of survey methods.

• Easy to build surveys using intuitive survey builder, with different question types, multiple choice, rank-based, heat map, rating based, and many more
• Use more than 800+ survey, questionnaire templates to conduct surveys in almost every industry
• Use AI survey builder to create surveys with just prompts
• Conversational UI, that gives you more than 40% completion rate. A better completion rate means better data!
• Share via multiple platforms , including WhatsApp, Social Share, etc.

SurveySparrow also offers a free trial for users to test out the product. Sign up here to create a similar online survey, plus loads of really cool features like response management , order forms, video surveys , and more!

14-day free trial • Cancel Anytime • No Credit Card Required • No Strings Attached

An online survey software, like SurveySparrow , has real-time reporting and analysis since the responses are stored automatically. Moreover, people will answer sensitive questions honestly because you can set online surveys to ‘Anonymous’ mode or encrypt the fields with passcodes. Give it a try.

• There are certain sections of the population that can’t access the internet. Online surveys pose a challenge in such cases, but one can use offline surveys in those scenarios.
• Online surveys don’t have an interviewer to clarify queries compared to face-to-face surveys. Here are 6 common mistakes in survey questions  that you should avoid.

2. Chat Surveys

Chat surveys are a newer survey method that allows respondents to answer questions through a chat interface. This type of survey is beneficial for businesses because it allows them to gather real-time feedback and can be used to generate leads or qualify potential customers.

Additionally, chat surveys are easy to use and can be tailored to fit the specific needs of your business. If you are looking for a way to gather feedback from your customers or leads, then a chat survey may be the perfect solution for you.

SurveySparrow lets you create stunning chat surveys with a chatbot in less than a minute. Try for FREE!

Face-to-face surveys require little effort on the part of the respondents as the interviewer meets them at a prearranged time and location. The interviewer works directly with the respondents while filling out the survey and clarifies their doubts.

• Face-to-face surveys are apt for respondents who have low literacy. 
• In addition, it helps uncover deep insights by asking more open-ended questions. The interviewers can make sure that the respondents pay attention without getting distracted.
• To ensure that no data goes ignored, the researcher records the interview. 
• Face-to-face surveys can be long and time-consuming.
• They are pricey due to travel expenses and the costs of hiring and training an interviewer. 
• Due to logistical limits, the survey is confined to a particular location.
• The success of the survey relies heavily on the interviewer’s skills. 
• There is no anonymity. Hence respondents would be hesitant to answer questions of a sensitive nature.
• Many studies have also pointed out interviewer bias. Interviewers may give verbal or non-verbal cues as to how they should respond. This bias might skew the overall results.
• Researchers observed that participants often changed their responses or behavior in a third person’s presence. This is the Hawthorne effect – another unavoidable bias in face-to-face surveys.

Compared to other types of survey methods, face-to-face surveys offer profound insights and accuracy. But it is expensive and time-intensive.

Like the face-to-face survey, the focus group survey method is in-person. The only difference is that there is a group of people (around 6 to 10). The group is selected to represent the survey’s target population. Each person can share their feedback on a topic while a moderator leads the group. Their role is to control the flow of discussion and reduce bias.

• This survey method is good for market research because it lets you uncover personal attitudes and perceptions. 
• Focus groups are increasingly becoming digital. There are no geographical restrictions – anyone can participate from anywhere.
• Focus groups perfectly complement a quantitative survey method. A focus group study conducted right before surveying a larger population can reinforce insights.
• Selecting the apt participants takes time.
• The participants should be aware of the research objectives and essential facts before the discussion. 
• It helps if you decide what questions the moderator should ask and prepare a script for the questions. 
• Certain participants may dominate the discussion. So the opinions expressed may not represent that of the population.
• This survey method is also a bit cost-intensive. You may have to incentivize participants and moderators and bear their travel expenses. 

Panel sampling is when you choose people randomly from a target audience to be a part of a panel. This panel is then part of a study that requires them to take recurring surveys over a period.

For example, a longitudinal study where researchers can observe changes in customer perception and behavior over a period. 

• Organizations ranging from news media and government agencies to market research companies employ panel surveys . They roll out similar surveys to the target audience many times over various weeks and months.
• Say, a survey at one point in time indicates that the X variable has the most impact on user behavior. But a panel survey, administered after a long duration, will prove otherwise. This change reflects the variable’s effect over time.
• This method may jeopardize data quality if the respondent is a member of two or more similar panels.
• Respondents may decide to answer surveys based on the incentives they receive. 

5. Phone Survey 

Almost everyone has a phone at home. That’s why phone surveys are incredibly convenient. It also allows anonymity in case of sensitive questions.

• If the interviewer is skillful, it can also lend a personal touch which helps build a relationship.
• In market research, CATI ( Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing ) has led to a faster way to handle and process data obtained from phone surveys.
• Phone interviews are effortless since the survey displays on the computer screen, and the interviewer can easily record answers with a mouse and keyboard.
• Phone surveys are time-constrained and usually can’t go longer than 15 minutes. 
• Many people screen their calls to accept only select callers and may not attend calls from an unknown number. 
• Phone surveys can be mistaken as telemarketing calls and perceived negatively.

Mail surveys are questionnaires distributed and delivered via postal service to a sample audience. Respondents then have to complete these surveys and return them via mail.

When drafting a mail survey, ensure that the study does not exceed one page. Also, include a cover letter with your enterprise letterhead and the purpose of this survey. In addition, it should include details like the survey deadline and the incentives on offer. 

• Mail surveys are straightforward and consist of a few open-ended questions.
• Mail surveys may seem old-fashioned, but they also offer a sense of authenticity.
• While mail surveys are convenient for the respondent, it also requires their effort. Thus it has a high chance of being ignored, especially if the target respondents are busy professionals. 
• There is the cost of printing, envelopes, and postage.

You might have seen product promotion kiosks at your local mall or self-service kiosks at your favorite restaurant. The latest kiosks also offer consumers the feature of taking surveys. Kiosk surveys aim to collect feedback immediately after interaction with the brand.

• Kiosks within the establishment ensure that customers can casually take the survey with no pressure.
• Kiosk surveys are also suitable for areas with spotty wifi because they don’t require a net connection. 
• Kiosk surveys can capture feedback immediately, especially when the in-store experience is fresh in the customers’ minds. This real-time feedback provides brands with a clear picture.

For example : Suppose a brand has five branches set up within the same city. Kiosk surveys offer the fantastic advantage of gaining responses from customers across multiple branches.

• Just about anyone can take these surveys. Even people who aren’t customers may end up taking the survey – especially if incentives are on offer.
• Since kiosks are often a part of the in-store experience, customers may not notice a survey kiosk or ignore it. 
• In addition, if the kiosk faces technical issues, this may end up ruining the survey-taking experience.

Many feel that paper surveys are a thing of the past. But paper surveys help to get responses from difficult-to-reach audiences.

• Paper surveys, in conjunction with online surveys, can boost response rates. 
• Moreover, a paper survey is the best alternative when the respondent cannot access its online version.
• Moreover, not everyone is tech-savvy enough to be at ease with online surveys. For an audience like this, paper surveys are a more effective tool. 

For example:  Senior citizens may prefer a paper-based survey. So they are printed on a white background and in easy-to-read large fonts. 

• With its printing costs, the paper surveys method is expensive.
• Paper surveys are not environmentally friendly. 
• Unlike online surveys, paper surveys lack an extra layer of data security like password authentication. 

SMS surveys let you gather user feedback through text messages . When you send an SMS, be it manually or using SMS marketing platforms , users can either text a shortcode to access the survey or click on the survey link through their phones.

• This survey method is ideal for collecting feedback on recent events. 
• SMS surveys have a high opening rate of 98% compared to emails at just 22%.

However, it’s necessary to have permission from the users to send them the surveys. Ensure that the messages are short, and make the responses quantifiable rather than ask for qualitative feedback.

For example:  Y ou can measure the NPS for a particular interaction right after it happens. 

• There’s limited space for elaboration in a text message. This makes SMS surveys unsuitable for studies that need an introduction or context for better answers.
• These types of survey methods can be costly depending on the carrier charges. 

There are varied types of survey methods in research. You can choose one or a mix of many. Here are some of the factors to keep in mind while choosing your survey research methods:

• Target population: If your target population can be enumerated, then you can easily pick a sample from the list of names you have at hand. Online or phone surveys are not used for populations that are difficult to enumerate or list. If your target population is illiterate, it is advisable to do a face-to-face survey.
• Sample size:  If your sample is small, it’s easier to carry out face-to-face surveys. On the other hand, you may need to deploy online surveys to guarantee higher response rates for a larger sample.
• Duration of research: If your study lasts longer, especially if the same sample takes the surveys, a panel survey would be apt. Other types of survey methods are sufficient for collecting data at a single point in time.
• Facility and infrastructure: Ensure that you have the infrastructure required for your survey. In phone surveys, you would require phone surveying facilities. For conducting focus groups, you would need a comfortable room and equipment to record responses.
• Costs incurred:  Face-to-face surveys are expensive since there is a high cost of training and hiring interviewers. The same goes for mail surveys and associated postage.

If you’re looking for a cost-effective survey tool, give SurveySparrow a try. From classic online surveys to chat, SMS, and even QR codes, you can access more ways to share your survey for free.

Wrapping Up

Surveys are a systematic form of collecting primary, raw data from your target audience. It is one of the most effective ways to conduct research.

In this article, we discussed the numerous survey methods and how to choose the one most apt for you. Each one has its pros and cons. Ultimately, the survey method you select will depend upon numerous factors such as cost, response rates needed, target audience, and duration of research. Choose wisely!

Content Marketer at SurveySparrow

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8 types of surveys (methods and examples)

How to choose the right survey method, 8 types of surveys, survey research examples in action, survey faqs.

What type of survey research is best for my business? Can I do customer satisfaction surveys over the phone? When are panel research surveys the way to go? And are in-person interviews worth the time?

Great questions to ask yourself when you’re looking into survey methods for your brand.

There are many different types of surveys, and each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. In this guide, we will discuss eight different types of surveys and provide examples of how consumer businesses like yours can use them. We will also discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each type of survey.

To whet your appetite, here are the 8 survey types we’ll talk about:

• Online surveys
• Face-to-face surveys
• Phone surveys
• Panel surveys
• Paper surveys
• Kiosk surveys
• Pop-up surveys

Ultimately, the best way to choose the right survey method for your research is to consider your goals and objectives. Let’s look at how you can identify which types of surveys you should consider.

There are many different objectives for consumer research. Some common objectives include understanding customer needs, gauging customer satisfaction, tracking customer behavior, informing new product development and measuring brand awareness.

If you want high data quality for your research make sure you choose survey research methods that match your objectives.

Here’s an example: Mail surveys are not great for collecting large amounts of data—all those envelopes to fill!—but can help if you want to ask questions to consumers in a specific zip code.

Your available resources play a major role in determining the type of survey that is right for your market research.

If you don’t have the budget or people power to conduct a telephone survey or in-person interviews, you might want to choose online surveys. And even within that spectrum, there are countless survey methods depending on your budget.

Interviews, for example, require more time than online surveys, but they provide more accurate, qualitative results.

It’s crucial you don’t just look at the time it takes to conduct your surveys, but also keep in mind how long it takes to analyze the results. Transcribing interviews can be a lot of work, and you might need some external or even AI help to analyze sentiment.

Your audience

You might be leaning towards conducting research using online surveys, because it’s quick and relatively easy to analyze.

But what if your audience is on average 85 years old—and not the kind that knows how to work an iPad better than the average millennial? Take into account how your audience will respond to the survey method you use.

There’s a survey for every occasion, but which one is right for you? Let’s dive into eight different survey methods and look at which one will help you collect data for your research the best way possible.

1. Online surveys

Online surveys offer a number of benefits for market research. They are fast, cheap, and easy to distribute, and they provide large sample sizes.

There can be drawbacks with online surveys too. Different survey platforms gather insights in different ways, so make sure the platform you use gathers responses in a way that maximizes honesty and quality, but minimizes respondent frustration and rushed answers.

When you use survey software well, online surveys can help you reach a very specific demographic, fairly easily.

It’s a good point to mention that with Attest’s survey software, you get everything you need for a successful research project. You get an easy-to-use survey platform, designated research support from our in-house research team, and data that’s triple-checked for quality.

Triple-checked data and designated research support with Attest

With Attest you get designated research support from our in-house experts plus triple-checked data—all to make sure the insights you get are as valuable as possible

It’s crucial to approach your online surveys with care: choose a tool that helps you get in front of the people you need, in a way that will help respondents understand and fill in the survey correctly and honestly.

2. Interviews

Talking to people one-on-one is the oldest survey method in the book, but is it right for you?

The benefits of using interviews for market research are that they allow businesses to get detailed feedback from customers, and they can help businesses to understand customer attitudes and behaviors with a bit more flavor than you might get from a paper or screen: you can ask follow-up questions, and clarify questions that might seem confusing to respondents.

The drawbacks of using interviews for market research are that they can be expensive and time-consuming, and they may not be suitable for all types of businesses. And while the qualitative insights you get are super useful, it’d take you a really long time to gather as much data as you would with, for example, online survey tools.

3. Face-to-face survey

A face-to-face survey is different from an interview, in that you follow a specific set of questions. It’s therefore a lot quicker than interviews, and does not necessarily require experienced surveyors.

This is useful if you want to target a specific audience in a certain location, for instance in a supermarket or shopping mall.

4. Phone surveys

Phone surveys can be a great way to get feedback from customers for market research.

They have several benefits: they’re personal, they reach a wide audience, and they can be tailored to collect specific information.

However, there are also some drawbacks: response rates tend to be low, people may not be honest on the phone, and it’s expensive to conduct a survey this way. Not to mention the time it takes: sometimes you’ll have to call people back, and collecting and analyzing all the data can be a time-consuming activity.

5. Panel surveys

Panel surveys are a type of survey where the respondents are chosen beforehand because they fit certain criteria. For example, they might own a certain product or live in a specific area. Panel surveys can be carried out online, by telephone or face-to-face.

One example of a panel survey is the American National Election Study, which interviews the same group of people every presidential election year to track voting patterns and opinions. Panel surveys are often part of longitudinal surveys, combined with trend surveys and cohort surveys.

A longitudinal survey is a type of research survey that is administered to the same group of people over a period of time. This type of survey allows researchers to track changes in attitudes or behaviors over time. Longitudinal surveys are often used in social science research, but can also be used for consumer and market research.

6. Paper surveys

Yes, even with the internet being integrated with every part of our day, there are still some reasons to choose paper surveys for your market research.

For instance, perhaps you need to survey people who don’t have smartphones and might all be in one location—remember those 85-year-olds who aren’t the savviest with technology? Now imagine they live in residential care—a paper survey is ideal.

7. Kiosk surveys

Kiosk surveys are conducted on-location, often in stores or public spaces, to gather people’s opinions right where they are.

Kiosk surveys offer a number of benefits for businesses and consumers. For businesses, they provide a way to collect feedback from customers in a quick and easy manner. Kiosks can be used to survey customers about their experience at a particular location or about a product or service that they’ve purchased. This feedback can help businesses improve the quality of their products and services.

For consumers, kiosk surveys provide a convenient way to provide feedback about their experience in the moment. They can also be used to enter contests or sweepstakes, or to receive discounts on products or services.

8. Pop-up surveys

Pop-up surveys are a type of survey that can be found on many websites. They allow businesses to collect data from website visitors in real-time, and they are easy to deploy.

However, there are some drawbacks to using pop-up surveys, including the fact that they can be intrusive and annoying to website visitors. They might click at random or fill in complete gibberish just to get rid of the pop-up.

That means you have to take timing and placement into account, and consider incentives for people to motivate them to take a second longer to fill in the survey.

We’re not going to lie: we’re big fans of online surveys.

They’re versatile, valuable and continue to give businesses insights that can turn their brand upside down—in a good way. Let’s look at some use cases for surveys and how our consumer brands have used Attest to gather insights that are truly valuable to them.

Market research surveys

Market research surveys are a type of survey used to gather information about a particular market. This type of survey is often used by businesses to understand customer needs and preferences, track market trends and identify potential areas for growth. It can also be used to get to know how people feel about competitors, or to understand differences between different markets on a national level.

And that’s exactly what Baby Brezza did. They used Attest to carry out market analysis among mothers in France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Australia, Korea and Taiwan.

We wanted to cover some of the big markets in Europe, and some big markets in Asia and understand consumer habits and practices in those markets. Because even though babies are the same around the world, parents’ behaviors and approaches are different. David Contract, Marketing Team Lead, Baby Brezza (Betesh Group)

This is exactly something you can clarify using a market research survey. Extra points for doing this with an online survey, because traveling to all those countries and interviewing mothers on the spot is unrealistic.

What was great was that within less than a week, we got the results back. I was able to go through it all and then I realized that there’s actually a lot more similarity than difference in terms of this new product opportunity around the world. David Contract, Marketing Team Lead, Baby Brezza (Betesh Group)

Read about what Baby Brezza did with their insights .

Brand tracking surveys

You can track different brand metrics using surveys, such as brand awareness , brand perception and brand recall. There are a few different types of brand research:

Brand awareness surveys are used to measure how familiar consumers are with a given brand. This type of survey can help businesses determine which marketing campaigns are most effective at increasing brand awareness. Additionally, brand awareness surveys can help businesses track their progress over time and make sure that their branding efforts are paying off.

Brand perception surveys are a type of survey that businesses can use to measure how their customers perceive their brand. This type of survey can help businesses identify any areas where they may need to improve their branding, and it can also help them track the progress of their branding projects over time.

Brand recall surveys are a type of survey used to measure how well a consumer remembers a particular brand. Brands will often want to know whether consumers can think of the brand name without being prompted, and then present a list to see how many people recognise their brand name in a list of competitors. This type of survey is often used by businesses to measure the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.

But how do you track something like ‘awareness’ in a survey? How realistic is ‘recall’ as a metric? And what do you do with opinions and brand perception? Here are some guides that explain it all in detail:

• 10 simple ways to measure brand awareness
• How to do a brand recall survey
• Brand perception survey: questions, examples and templates
• Brand tracker survey template – written by Attest’s in-house research experts

Consumer profiling surveys

Consumer profiling surveys are a type of survey that is used to build an organization’s understanding of their ideal customers.

This type of survey can be used to determine things such as what products or services a customer might be interested in, what their spending habits are, or what kind of customer they are.

You can use this information to create an ideal customer profile (ICP) or a buyer persona, which will help you create better products, and campaigns that speak to your ideal customers.

Creating buyers personas or consumer profiles without actually talking to your target group, is simply a guessing game.

It’s important you first identify what it is you really want to know about your target audience. Asking about spending behaviors, opinions, or even their hopes and dreams has to be relevant to your research, and you need to do it in the right context.

New product development surveys

A new product development survey or concept testing survey is a type of survey that businesses can use to gather feedback about potential new products. You can use this type of survey to gauge interest in a product, collect ideas about features or design and track satisfaction with prototypes.

Which is what cult entertainment experience Secret Cinema did when they got hit by the consequences of Covid-19, and their signature live immersive movie events were put on hold. Instead of waiting for things to pick back up again, they grabbed the bull by the horns and developed a new global digital offering.

Secret Cinema’s live shows usually take place in London or Los Angeles, but the brand’s new ‘virtual live’ offering is designed to be enjoyed from anywhere. And they won’t stop doing those, because the world has been changing. They use Attest to figure out exactly what their audience wants to see.

With the gradual reopening of the world, we have had to pivot and we have had to learn new behaviors, some of which are here to stay. Connecting with people online has become part of our behavior now, and it’s going to continue as people work from home and find it a lot easier to connect online. Ayomi Rupasinghe, Marketing Director, Secret Cinema

See how Secret Cinema pivoted their business successfully despite all the challenges the industry faced.

Creative testing surveys

You can also test creative concepts with surveys . For instance, when creating new marketing material, fine-tuning your brand’s tone of voice of other branding choices.

You can—should!—even use it for redesigning your website, like The Big Prawn Co. did.

They found that visitors to their website actually didn’t want to see plates of juicy prawns and shellfish—which is what they sell—they wanted imagery of people and fishing. The discovery came about when Claire Evans, Category Manager at The Big Prawn Co. surveyed consumers leading up to a redesign of their website.

“There are consumers that come to the website to look at recipe content, but we also try to explain our position as a company and how we’re sustainably sourcing and all of the CSR we do. Basically, we weren’t speaking to anybody because we’d become too confused. We’d ended up with a website that was trying to be everything to everyone and that was a recipe for disaster.”

Ultimately, all this consumer data helped them redesign their website in a way that helps their business.

It was really invaluable insight that we were able to draw on, and it came from a huge pool of people rather than just being something internal where we all have our own ideas and it’s hard to set those aside. It gave us a really clear understanding of how to make a fit-for-purpose website.  Claire Evans, Category Manager, The Big Prawn Company

Hungry for more info on what The Big Prawn Company learned and how they did it?

When’s the last time you conducted a survey?

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Our team of research experts is on standby to help you create the perfect survey. Like to give it a go yourself? Check out all our survey templates !

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This depends largely on your type of research, audience, budget and resources. The most popular survey method is online surveys because it allows you to reach a large audience and gather results relatively quickly.

Online surveys offer several benefits over other survey methods. They are cheaper, faster and more accurate than paper surveys, and they reach a larger audience than telephone surveys. Additionally, online surveys can be customized to target specific audiences, and respondents can complete them at their convenience. This makes them an ideal tool for market research and customer experience surveys.  Try it for yourself here.

Businesses use surveys to gain insights into customer experiences, and market research, and to gauge public opinion on topics. Researchers use surveys to learn about people’s habits and opinions. Pollsters use surveys to predict election results. Governments use surveys to help make policy decisions. There’s a survey for everyone and every occasion!

Some  market research tools , including Attest, offer you a dashboard and reporting tools where you can see the results of your survey arrive in real-time. Here, you can play around with filters to get a better look at the answers before you start drawing conclusions.

Customer Research Lead 

Nick joined Attest in 2021, with more than 10 years' experience in market research and consumer insights on both agency and brand sides. As part of the Customer Research Team team, Nick takes a hands-on role supporting customers uncover insights and opportunities for growth.

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Methodology

• Questionnaire Design | Methods, Question Types & Examples

Questionnaire Design | Methods, Question Types & Examples

Published on July 15, 2021 by Pritha Bhandari . Revised on June 22, 2023.

A questionnaire is a list of questions or items used to gather data from respondents about their attitudes, experiences, or opinions. Questionnaires can be used to collect quantitative and/or qualitative information.

Questionnaires are commonly used in market research as well as in the social and health sciences. For example, a company may ask for feedback about a recent customer service experience, or psychology researchers may investigate health risk perceptions using questionnaires.

Table of contents

Questionnaires vs. surveys, questionnaire methods, open-ended vs. closed-ended questions, question wording, question order, step-by-step guide to design, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about questionnaire design.

A survey is a research method where you collect and analyze data from a group of people. A questionnaire is a specific tool or instrument for collecting the data.

Designing a questionnaire means creating valid and reliable questions that address your research objectives , placing them in a useful order, and selecting an appropriate method for administration.

But designing a questionnaire is only one component of survey research. Survey research also involves defining the population you’re interested in, choosing an appropriate sampling method , administering questionnaires, data cleansing and analysis, and interpretation.

Sampling is important in survey research because you’ll often aim to generalize your results to the population. Gather data from a sample that represents the range of views in the population for externally valid results. There will always be some differences between the population and the sample, but minimizing these will help you avoid several types of research bias , including sampling bias , ascertainment bias , and undercoverage bias .

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Questionnaires can be self-administered or researcher-administered . Self-administered questionnaires are more common because they are easy to implement and inexpensive, but researcher-administered questionnaires allow deeper insights.

Self-administered questionnaires

Self-administered questionnaires can be delivered online or in paper-and-pen formats, in person or through mail. All questions are standardized so that all respondents receive the same questions with identical wording.

Self-administered questionnaires can be:

• cost-effective
• easy to administer for small and large groups
• anonymous and suitable for sensitive topics

But they may also be:

• unsuitable for people with limited literacy or verbal skills
• susceptible to a nonresponse bias (most people invited may not complete the questionnaire)
• biased towards people who volunteer because impersonal survey requests often go ignored.

Researcher-administered questionnaires

Researcher-administered questionnaires are interviews that take place by phone, in-person, or online between researchers and respondents.

Researcher-administered questionnaires can:

• help you ensure the respondents are representative of your target audience
• allow clarifications of ambiguous or unclear questions and answers
• have high response rates because it’s harder to refuse an interview when personal attention is given to respondents

But researcher-administered questionnaires can be limiting in terms of resources. They are:

• costly and time-consuming to perform
• more difficult to analyze if you have qualitative responses
• likely to contain experimenter bias or demand characteristics
• likely to encourage social desirability bias in responses because of a lack of anonymity

Your questionnaire can include open-ended or closed-ended questions or a combination of both.

Using closed-ended questions limits your responses, while open-ended questions enable a broad range of answers. You’ll need to balance these considerations with your available time and resources.

Closed-ended questions

Closed-ended, or restricted-choice, questions offer respondents a fixed set of choices to select from. Closed-ended questions are best for collecting data on categorical or quantitative variables.

Categorical variables can be nominal or ordinal. Quantitative variables can be interval or ratio. Understanding the type of variable and level of measurement means you can perform appropriate statistical analyses for generalizable results.

Examples of closed-ended questions for different variables

Nominal variables include categories that can’t be ranked, such as race or ethnicity. This includes binary or dichotomous categories.

It’s best to include categories that cover all possible answers and are mutually exclusive. There should be no overlap between response items.

In binary or dichotomous questions, you’ll give respondents only two options to choose from.

White Black or African American American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Ordinal variables include categories that can be ranked. Consider how wide or narrow a range you’ll include in your response items, and their relevance to your respondents.

Likert scale questions collect ordinal data using rating scales with 5 or 7 points.

When you have four or more Likert-type questions, you can treat the composite data as quantitative data on an interval scale . Intelligence tests, psychological scales, and personality inventories use multiple Likert-type questions to collect interval data.

With interval or ratio scales , you can apply strong statistical hypothesis tests to address your research aims.

Pros and cons of closed-ended questions

Well-designed closed-ended questions are easy to understand and can be answered quickly. However, you might still miss important answers that are relevant to respondents. An incomplete set of response items may force some respondents to pick the closest alternative to their true answer. These types of questions may also miss out on valuable detail.

To solve these problems, you can make questions partially closed-ended, and include an open-ended option where respondents can fill in their own answer.

Open-ended questions

Open-ended, or long-form, questions allow respondents to give answers in their own words. Because there are no restrictions on their choices, respondents can answer in ways that researchers may not have otherwise considered. For example, respondents may want to answer “multiracial” for the question on race rather than selecting from a restricted list.

• How do you feel about open science?
• How would you describe your personality?
• In your opinion, what is the biggest obstacle for productivity in remote work?

Open-ended questions have a few downsides.

They require more time and effort from respondents, which may deter them from completing the questionnaire.

For researchers, understanding and summarizing responses to these questions can take a lot of time and resources. You’ll need to develop a systematic coding scheme to categorize answers, and you may also need to involve other researchers in data analysis for high reliability .

Question wording can influence your respondents’ answers, especially if the language is unclear, ambiguous, or biased. Good questions need to be understood by all respondents in the same way ( reliable ) and measure exactly what you’re interested in ( valid ).

Use clear language

You should design questions with your target audience in mind. Consider their familiarity with your questionnaire topics and language and tailor your questions to them.

For readability and clarity, avoid jargon or overly complex language. Don’t use double negatives because they can be harder to understand.

Use balanced framing

Respondents often answer in different ways depending on the question framing. Positive frames are interpreted as more neutral than negative frames and may encourage more socially desirable answers.

Use a mix of both positive and negative frames to avoid research bias , and ensure that your question wording is balanced wherever possible.

Unbalanced questions focus on only one side of an argument. Respondents may be less likely to oppose the question if it is framed in a particular direction. It’s best practice to provide a counter argument within the question as well.

Avoid leading questions

Leading questions guide respondents towards answering in specific ways, even if that’s not how they truly feel, by explicitly or implicitly providing them with extra information.

It’s best to keep your questions short and specific to your topic of interest.

• The average daily work commute in the US takes 54.2 minutes and costs $29 per day. Since 2020, working from home has saved many employees time and money. Do you favor flexible work-from-home policies even after it’s safe to return to offices?
• Experts agree that a well-balanced diet provides sufficient vitamins and minerals, and multivitamins and supplements are not necessary or effective. Do you agree or disagree that multivitamins are helpful for balanced nutrition?

Keep your questions focused

Ask about only one idea at a time and avoid double-barreled questions. Double-barreled questions ask about more than one item at a time, which can confuse respondents.

This question could be difficult to answer for respondents who feel strongly about the right to clean drinking water but not high-speed internet. They might only answer about the topic they feel passionate about or provide a neutral answer instead – but neither of these options capture their true answers.

Instead, you should ask two separate questions to gauge respondents’ opinions.

Strongly Agree Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly Disagree

Do you agree or disagree that the government should be responsible for providing high-speed internet to everyone?

You can organize the questions logically, with a clear progression from simple to complex. Alternatively, you can randomize the question order between respondents.

Logical flow

Using a logical flow to your question order means starting with simple questions, such as behavioral or opinion questions, and ending with more complex, sensitive, or controversial questions.

The question order that you use can significantly affect the responses by priming them in specific directions. Question order effects, or context effects, occur when earlier questions influence the responses to later questions, reducing the validity of your questionnaire.

While demographic questions are usually unaffected by order effects, questions about opinions and attitudes are more susceptible to them.

• How knowledgeable are you about Joe Biden’s executive orders in his first 100 days?
• Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Joe Biden is managing the economy?
• Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president?

It’s important to minimize order effects because they can be a source of systematic error or bias in your study.

Randomization

Randomization involves presenting individual respondents with the same questionnaire but with different question orders.

When you use randomization, order effects will be minimized in your dataset. But a randomized order may also make it harder for respondents to process your questionnaire. Some questions may need more cognitive effort, while others are easier to answer, so a random order could require more time or mental capacity for respondents to switch between questions.

Step 1: Define your goals and objectives

The first step of designing a questionnaire is determining your aims.

• What topics or experiences are you studying?
• What specifically do you want to find out?
• Is a self-report questionnaire an appropriate tool for investigating this topic?

Once you’ve specified your research aims, you can operationalize your variables of interest into questionnaire items. Operationalizing concepts means turning them from abstract ideas into concrete measurements. Every question needs to address a defined need and have a clear purpose.

Step 2: Use questions that are suitable for your sample

Create appropriate questions by taking the perspective of your respondents. Consider their language proficiency and available time and energy when designing your questionnaire.

• Are the respondents familiar with the language and terms used in your questions?
• Would any of the questions insult, confuse, or embarrass them?
• Do the response items for any closed-ended questions capture all possible answers?
• Are the response items mutually exclusive?
• Do the respondents have time to respond to open-ended questions?

Consider all possible options for responses to closed-ended questions. From a respondent’s perspective, a lack of response options reflecting their point of view or true answer may make them feel alienated or excluded. In turn, they’ll become disengaged or inattentive to the rest of the questionnaire.

Step 3: Decide on your questionnaire length and question order

Once you have your questions, make sure that the length and order of your questions are appropriate for your sample.

If respondents are not being incentivized or compensated, keep your questionnaire short and easy to answer. Otherwise, your sample may be biased with only highly motivated respondents completing the questionnaire.

Decide on your question order based on your aims and resources. Use a logical flow if your respondents have limited time or if you cannot randomize questions. Randomizing questions helps you avoid bias, but it can take more complex statistical analysis to interpret your data.

Step 4: Pretest your questionnaire

When you have a complete list of questions, you’ll need to pretest it to make sure what you’re asking is always clear and unambiguous. Pretesting helps you catch any errors or points of confusion before performing your study.

Ask friends, classmates, or members of your target audience to complete your questionnaire using the same method you’ll use for your research. Find out if any questions were particularly difficult to answer or if the directions were unclear or inconsistent, and make changes as necessary.

If you have the resources, running a pilot study will help you test the validity and reliability of your questionnaire. A pilot study is a practice run of the full study, and it includes sampling, data collection , and analysis. You can find out whether your procedures are unfeasible or susceptible to bias and make changes in time, but you can’t test a hypothesis with this type of study because it’s usually statistically underpowered .

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Student’s  t -distribution
• Normal distribution
• Null and Alternative Hypotheses
• Chi square tests
• Confidence interval
• Quartiles & Quantiles
• Cluster sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Data cleansing
• Reproducibility vs Replicability
• Peer review
• Prospective cohort study

Research bias

• Implicit bias
• Cognitive bias
• Placebo effect
• Hawthorne effect
• Hindsight bias
• Affect heuristic
• Social desirability bias

A questionnaire is a data collection tool or instrument, while a survey is an overarching research method that involves collecting and analyzing data from people using questionnaires.

Closed-ended, or restricted-choice, questions offer respondents a fixed set of choices to select from. These questions are easier to answer quickly.

Open-ended or long-form questions allow respondents to answer in their own words. Because there are no restrictions on their choices, respondents can answer in ways that researchers may not have otherwise considered.

A Likert scale is a rating scale that quantitatively assesses opinions, attitudes, or behaviors. It is made up of 4 or more questions that measure a single attitude or trait when response scores are combined.

To use a Likert scale in a survey , you present participants with Likert-type questions or statements, and a continuum of items, usually with 5 or 7 possible responses, to capture their degree of agreement.

You can organize the questions logically, with a clear progression from simple to complex, or randomly between respondents. A logical flow helps respondents process the questionnaire easier and quicker, but it may lead to bias. Randomization can minimize the bias from order effects.

Questionnaires can be self-administered or researcher-administered.

Researcher-administered questionnaires are interviews that take place by phone, in-person, or online between researchers and respondents. You can gain deeper insights by clarifying questions for respondents or asking follow-up questions.

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Survey Questions — Types & Examples

Survey questions Surveys are the doorway to understanding — the pulse of your market, the sentiment of your employees, and the satisfaction of your customers. But what makes this doorway effective? A well-crafted question. With a myriad of types and categories at your disposal, creating a compelling survey can feel like navigating through a maze. Fear not, curious explorer! In this guide, we'll equip you with everything you need to formulate the perfect survey questions. Remember, every step we take in this journey is geared towards a single goal — making your voice heard, and more importantly, understanding the voices that respond. Survey questions: List of types and categories The diversity in survey questions is what makes them a potent tool in your research arsenal. Let's uncover the various types that you can leverage, each with its unique flavor and purpose: Dichotomous Questions (Yes or No) These questions are simple and straightforward, requiring just a "yes" or "no" response. For instance, a tech company might ask, "Have you used our new mobile app?" Multiple-Choice Questions Great for when there are several potential answers but respondents need to select just one. An online store could ask, "Which method of payment did you use for your most recent purchase? (Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Cash on Delivery)" Numerical Questions Numerical questions require respondents to provide a number as their answer, often related to age, quantity, or ranking. A fitness app might ask, "How many days per week do you exercise?" Nominal and Ordinal Questions Nominal questions offer categories with no inherent order, like "Which social media platform do you use the most? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn)". Ordinal questions provide ordered choices, such as "How would you rate your experience with our customer service? (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor)". Rating Scale Questions Rating scale questions allow respondents to rate an experience on a scale, such as 1-5 or 1-10. For instance, a restaurant might ask, "On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your dining experience?" Ranking Order Questions When you need to gauge preference or importance among options, ranking order questions are the way to go. A software company might ask, "Please rank these software features in order of importance: Speed, User-friendliness, Cost, and Customer Support." Likert Scale Questions Likert scale questions allow respondents to indicate their agreement or disagreement with a series of statements. An e-commerce website might ask, "I find the website easy to navigate: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly Disagree."You can also check out our article on Likert-Scales here. Matrix Questions Matrix questions let you collect multiple data points in one question. For instance, a product satisfaction survey might include a matrix question like "Please rate the following characteristics of our product: Price, Quality, Appearance, Packaging, etc." Dropdown Questions Dropdown questions are perfect when you have a long list of options. A survey about automobiles might include a dropdown question like, "From the dropdown menu, please select the make of your current vehicle." Demographic Questions Demographic questions offer insights about respondents like age, gender, income, and education. An example would be "What is your age bracket? (18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55+)". Image Choice Questions Image choice questions let respondents express their opinions using visuals. A clothing brand could include images of different styles and ask, "Which of these styles do you prefer?" Benchmarkable Questions Benchmarkable questions let you compare your data with industry standards. An example is the Net Promoter Score (NPS) question, "On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague?"In case you want to read more about the NPS, check out our article on this topic. Matrix Table Questions Matrix table questions offer a more detailed view of different aspects of a single topic. An airline might ask you to rate your satisfaction with several aspects of your flight, from booking to arrival, on a scale of 1-5. Open- and Closed-ended Questions Closed-ended questions provide fixed options for respondents, such as "Did you find what you were looking for today? (Yes, No)". Open-ended questions, on the other hand, allow for open-text responses like, "What improvements would you suggest for our website?" We'll dig deeper into the practical applications of these question types in the next section. Stay tuned for more enlightening insights! Ideas on what to ask Crafting the right survey questions is both an art and a science. It's a skill that requires understanding your objectives and your audience. Below are some fundamental considerations to stimulate your thought process: Identify Your Goals: Before jotting down your questions, take a moment to define what you intend to achieve with your survey. Are you seeking customer feedback about a product? Do you want to understand your employees' job satisfaction levels? Or, are you trying to gauge the effectiveness of a recent event? Know Your Audience: Understand who will be answering your questions. The language, tone, and type of questions you use should be tailored to fit your respondents. For instance, the questions you ask your employees would be different from those you ask your customers. Keep it Simple and Relevant: Keep your questions clear, simple, and relevant to your survey goals. Avoid technical jargon and ensure that each question contributes to achieving your survey's objectives. Strike a Balance: Include a mix of open-ended, closed-ended, and scaled questions. This way, you not only obtain specific data but also invite respondents to share their thoughts and experiences. Test Your Questions: Before sending out your survey, test it with a small group to ensure the questions are understood as intended. This will help you catch any confusing or leading questions. {loadmoduleid 430} Examples of common survey questions Now that we've covered the basics, let's jump into examples for different scenarios. Below, we'll share some common survey questions for various sectors and purposes: Survey Questions for Market Research How did you learn about our product/service? How likely are you to purchase our product/service again? What do you like most about our product/service? What improvements would you suggest? Survey Questions for Employees On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with your job? How strongly do you agree with this statement: "I feel valued at work." Do you feel your work contributes to the company's goals? What suggestions do you have for improving the workplace? Survey Questions for Students On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate the effectiveness of the teaching methods used in the course? What did you find most challenging about this course? What suggestions do you have for improving the course? Survey Questions for Universities How well does our program meet your educational goals? How would you rate the quality of teaching provided in your course? What improvements would you suggest for our course structure? How effective do you think the current course assessment methods are? Are the learning resources provided, including library and online resources, sufficient and helpful? Survey Questions for Schools and Teachers How satisfied are you with the learning environment at school? On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your teacher's teaching effectiveness? Do you feel your concerns are addressed promptly and effectively? How comfortable do you feel voicing your opinions in class? What would you suggest to make the school environment more engaging? Survey Questions for Events How did you hear about our event? How satisfied were you with the event's organization? Would you attend a similar event in the future? What did you like most about the event? What suggestions do you have for improving future events? Survey Questions for Businesses How often do you use our product/service? What factors influence your decision to choose our product/service? Is there anything we could do to improve your experience with our product/service? What additional features would you like to see in our product/service? How would you compare our product/service with others in the market? Survey Questions for Marketing Where do you usually find out about our new products/services? How well does our marketing communicate the benefits of our product/service? Are our marketing messages clear and easy to understand? How much do our marketing efforts impact your decision to purchase our products/services? What type of marketing content do you find most appealing or persuasive? Survey Questions to Ask About a Product What do you like most about our product? Is there anything you dislike about our product? What improvements would you suggest for our product? How does our product meet your needs compared to alternative products? If you could change one thing about our product, what would it be? Survey Questions for Customer Satisfaction On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with our product/service? How likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend? How can we improve your experience? What aspect of our service exceeds your expectations? What aspect of our service could be improved? Survey Questions About Social Media How often do you interact with our posts on social media? How useful do you find the information we share on social media? What type of content would you like to see more of on our social media platforms? Do you feel engaged with our brand on social media? How often would you like to see updates/posts from us on social media? Survey Questions for Kids What is your favorite activity in school? Who is your favorite character in our program/book? What would make our program/book more enjoyable for you? If you could change something about school, what would it be? What do you like most about our book/program? Survey Questions for Health Care and Hospital Satisfaction How would you rate the quality of care you received? How satisfied were you with the communication from our medical staff? How can we improve our service? How would you rate the comfort and cleanliness of our facility? Did you feel cared for and respected by our staff? Wording best practices: How to write survey questions Crafting questions for your survey is both an art and a science. The power of the right questions can unlock rich insights, while unclear or biased questions can lead to skewed results. So, let's dive in to discover the best practices to pen your survey questions. Keep It Simple, Smarty (KISS) Your questions need to be straightforward and simple. Avoid jargon, acronyms, or complex words. The goal is to make the respondent understand the question quickly, without having to read it twice. Example: Instead of asking "How would you appraise our service?" opt for "How would you rate our service?" Be Specific Broad questions can lead to broad answers, which might not give you the specific data you're looking for. Make sure your questions are targeted and clear. Example: Instead of "Do you like our products?" ask "Do you like our new spring collection?" Avoid Double-Barreled Questions Double-barreled questions ask about two topics but allow for only one response. This can confuse respondents and skew your data. Example: Instead of "Do you like our pricing and product quality?" break it down into "Do you like our pricing?" and "Do you like our product quality?" Avoid Leading and Loaded Questions Leading questions point respondents in a specific direction, while loaded questions contain an assumption. Both types can bias your survey results. Example: Instead of "Don't you think our app is user-friendly?" ask "How would you rate the user-friendliness of our app?" Provide a Neutral Option Sometimes respondents don't have a strong opinion either way. By providing a neutral option, you give them a choice without forcing them to lean in a direction they don't genuinely feel. Consider Using Open-Ended Questions These types of questions allow respondents to provide more detailed feedback. However, use them sparingly as they require more effort to answer. Example: "What features would you like to see added to our product?" Test Your Questions Finally, test your questions with a small group before sending out the survey. This can help you spot confusing or poorly worded questions. How many questions should be in a survey? Finding the Goldilocks number of questions for your survey - not too many, not too few - can be a tricky task. The optimal number depends on your survey's complexity, the time you expect respondents to have, and the type of questions asked. As a rule of thumb, a survey should take no longer than 5-10 minutes to complete, which typically equates to around 10-20 questions. What question order is best? Ordering your questions correctly can have a significant impact on response rates and the quality of feedback you receive. Here are a few tips to consider: Start with broad and general questions. These serve as a warm-up and are typically easier for respondents to answer. Move to more specific questions. Once you have set the stage, you can delve into the specifics. Place sensitive or potentially off-putting questions near the end. This ensures that you don't alienate respondents early. End with demographic questions. These questions are often seen as less interesting, but they are essential for data segmentation. Survey questions about personal information Gathering personal information in your survey can help you segment your data and understand your audience better. But it's important to respect your respondents' privacy. Only ask for information that's absolutely necessary and always inform respondents why you're asking for it. Examples of such questions include "What is your age range?" or "What is your employment status?" "What is your gender?" Survey question Asking about gender nowadays in a survey can be delicate, and it's essential to approach this question with sensitivity. An inclusive way to ask this question is to provide multiple choices beyond just 'male' and 'female', such as 'prefer not to say' and 'other (please specify)'. Example: "Which of the following best describes your gender? (1) Male (2) Female (3) Prefer not to say (4) Other (please specify)" Survey question templates Templates can be a great time-saver when creating a survey. Here are a few basic templates to get you started: Satisfaction questions: On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with [product/service]? How would you rate your overall experience with [product/service]? How likely are you to recommend [product/service] to a friend or colleague? How satisfied were you with our customer service interaction? Are you satisfied with the quality of [product/service]? Usage questions: How often do you use [product/service]? How frequently do you purchase [product/service]? On average, how many times a week do you use our [website/app]? How often do you use [specific feature] in our [product/service]? How often would you say you need to use our [product/service]? Comparison questions: How does [product/service] compare to similar options on the market? In comparison to our competitors, how would you rate the value for money of our [product/service]? How would you compare the quality of our [product/service] to others you have used? Would you say our [product/service] meets your needs better than other options you've tried? How does our customer service compare to that of other companies you've interacted with? Improvement questions: What can we do to improve [product/service]? Are there any features you would like us to add to our [product/service]? What changes would most improve our [product/service]? How could we make our [product/service] more useful for you? If you could change one thing about our [product/service], what would it be? Survey questions generator If you're struggling to come up with the perfect questions for your survey, LimeSurvey has got your back! Our powerful Survey Questions Generator can help you create compelling, effective questions in no time. There you have it! The art of creating powerful survey questions demystified. Remember, the key to a successful survey is not only asking the right questions but asking them the right way. So, now that you're armed with these tips and tricks, it's time to create your own knockout survey! Try out LimeSurvey now! Happy surveying! {loadmoduleid 429}

Table Content

Survey questions.

Surveys are the doorway to understanding — the pulse of your market, the sentiment of your employees, and the satisfaction of your customers. But what makes this doorway effective? A well-crafted question. With a myriad of types and categories at your disposal, creating a compelling survey can feel like navigating through a maze. Fear not, curious explorer! In this guide, we'll equip you with everything you need to formulate the perfect survey questions. Remember, every step we take in this journey is geared towards a single goal — making your voice heard, and more importantly, understanding the voices that respond.

Survey questions: List of types and categories

The diversity in survey questions is what makes them a potent tool in your research arsenal. Let's uncover the various types that you can leverage, each with its unique flavor and purpose:

Dichotomous Questions (Yes or No)

These questions are simple and straightforward, requiring just a "yes" or "no" response. For instance, a tech company might ask, "Have you used our new mobile app?"

Multiple-Choice Questions

Great for when there are several potential answers but respondents need to select just one. An online store could ask, "Which method of payment did you use for your most recent purchase? (Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Cash on Delivery)"

Numerical Questions

Numerical questions require respondents to provide a number as their answer, often related to age, quantity, or ranking. A fitness app might ask, "How many days per week do you exercise?"

Nominal and Ordinal Questions

Nominal questions offer categories with no inherent order, like "Which social media platform do you use the most? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn)". Ordinal questions provide ordered choices, such as "How would you rate your experience with our customer service? (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor)".

Rating Scale Questions

Rating scale questions allow respondents to rate an experience on a scale, such as 1-5 or 1-10. For instance, a restaurant might ask, "On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your dining experience?"

Ranking Order Questions

When you need to gauge preference or importance among options, ranking order questions are the way to go. A software company might ask, "Please rank these software features in order of importance: Speed, User-friendliness, Cost, and Customer Support."

Likert Scale Questions

Likert scale questions allow respondents to indicate their agreement or disagreement with a series of statements. An e-commerce website might ask, "I find the website easy to navigate: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly Disagree." You can also check out our article on Likert-Scales here.

Matrix Questions

Matrix questions let you collect multiple data points in one question. For instance, a product satisfaction survey might include a matrix question like "Please rate the following characteristics of our product: Price, Quality, Appearance, Packaging, etc."

Dropdown Questions

Dropdown questions are perfect when you have a long list of options. A survey about automobiles might include a dropdown question like, "From the dropdown menu, please select the make of your current vehicle."

Demographic Questions

Demographic questions offer insights about respondents like age, gender, income, and education. An example would be "What is your age bracket? (18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55+)".

Image Choice Questions

Image choice questions let respondents express their opinions using visuals. A clothing brand could include images of different styles and ask, "Which of these styles do you prefer?"

Benchmarkable Questions

Benchmarkable questions let you compare your data with industry standards. An example is the Net Promoter Score (NPS) question, "On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague?" In case you want to read more about the NPS, check out our article on this topic.

Matrix Table Questions

Matrix table questions offer a more detailed view of different aspects of a single topic. An airline might ask you to rate your satisfaction with several aspects of your flight, from booking to arrival, on a scale of 1-5.

Open- and Closed-ended Questions

Closed-ended questions provide fixed options for respondents, such as "Did you find what you were looking for today? (Yes, No)". Open-ended questions, on the other hand, allow for open-text responses like, "What improvements would you suggest for our website?"

We'll dig deeper into the practical applications of these question types in the next section. Stay tuned for more enlightening insights!

Ideas on what to ask

Crafting the right survey questions is both an art and a science. It's a skill that requires understanding your objectives and your audience. Below are some fundamental considerations to stimulate your thought process:

Identify Your Goals: Before jotting down your questions, take a moment to define what you intend to achieve with your survey. Are you seeking customer feedback about a product? Do you want to understand your employees' job satisfaction levels? Or, are you trying to gauge the effectiveness of a recent event?

Know Your Audience: Understand who will be answering your questions. The language, tone, and type of questions you use should be tailored to fit your respondents. For instance, the questions you ask your employees would be different from those you ask your customers.

Keep it Simple and Relevant: Keep your questions clear, simple, and relevant to your survey goals. Avoid technical jargon and ensure that each question contributes to achieving your survey's objectives.

Strike a Balance: Include a mix of open-ended, closed-ended, and scaled questions. This way, you not only obtain specific data but also invite respondents to share their thoughts and experiences.

Test Your Questions: Before sending out your survey, test it with a small group to ensure the questions are understood as intended. This will help you catch any confusing or leading questions.

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Examples of common survey questions

Now that we've covered the basics, let's jump into examples for different scenarios. Below, we'll share some common survey questions for various sectors and purposes:

Survey Questions for Market Research

• How did you learn about our product/service?
• How likely are you to purchase our product/service again?
• What do you like most about our product/service?
• What improvements would you suggest?

Survey Questions for Employees

• On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with your job?
• How strongly do you agree with this statement: "I feel valued at work."
• Do you feel your work contributes to the company's goals?
• What suggestions do you have for improving the workplace?

Survey Questions for Students

• On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate the effectiveness of the teaching methods used in the course?
• What did you find most challenging about this course?
• What suggestions do you have for improving the course?

Survey Questions for Universities

• How well does our program meet your educational goals?
• How would you rate the quality of teaching provided in your course?
• What improvements would you suggest for our course structure?
• How effective do you think the current course assessment methods are?
• Are the learning resources provided, including library and online resources, sufficient and helpful?

Survey Questions for Schools and Teachers

• How satisfied are you with the learning environment at school?
• On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your teacher's teaching effectiveness?
• Do you feel your concerns are addressed promptly and effectively?
• How comfortable do you feel voicing your opinions in class?
• What would you suggest to make the school environment more engaging?

Survey Questions for Events

• How did you hear about our event?
• How satisfied were you with the event's organization?
• Would you attend a similar event in the future?
• What did you like most about the event?
• What suggestions do you have for improving future events?

Survey Questions for Businesses

• How often do you use our product/service?
• What factors influence your decision to choose our product/service?
• Is there anything we could do to improve your experience with our product/service?
• What additional features would you like to see in our product/service?
• How would you compare our product/service with others in the market?

Survey Questions for Marketing

• Where do you usually find out about our new products/services?
• How well does our marketing communicate the benefits of our product/service?
• Are our marketing messages clear and easy to understand?
• How much do our marketing efforts impact your decision to purchase our products/services?
• What type of marketing content do you find most appealing or persuasive?

Survey Questions to Ask About a Product

• What do you like most about our product?
• Is there anything you dislike about our product?
• What improvements would you suggest for our product?
• How does our product meet your needs compared to alternative products?
• If you could change one thing about our product, what would it be?

Survey Questions for Customer Satisfaction

• On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with our product/service?
• How likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend?
• How can we improve your experience?
• What aspect of our service exceeds your expectations?
• What aspect of our service could be improved?

Survey Questions About Social Media

• How often do you interact with our posts on social media?
• How useful do you find the information we share on social media?
• What type of content would you like to see more of on our social media platforms?
• Do you feel engaged with our brand on social media?
• How often would you like to see updates/posts from us on social media?

Survey Questions for Kids

• What is your favorite activity in school?
• Who is your favorite character in our program/book?
• What would make our program/book more enjoyable for you?
• If you could change something about school, what would it be?
• What do you like most about our book/program?

Survey Questions for Health Care and Hospital Satisfaction

• How would you rate the quality of care you received?
• How satisfied were you with the communication from our medical staff?
• How can we improve our service?
• How would you rate the comfort and cleanliness of our facility?
• Did you feel cared for and respected by our staff?

Wording best practices: How to write survey questions

Crafting questions for your survey is both an art and a science. The power of the right questions can unlock rich insights, while unclear or biased questions can lead to skewed results. So, let's dive in to discover the best practices to pen your survey questions.

Keep It Simple, Smarty (KISS)

Your questions need to be straightforward and simple. Avoid jargon, acronyms, or complex words. The goal is to make the respondent understand the question quickly, without having to read it twice.

Example: Instead of asking "How would you appraise our service?" opt for "How would you rate our service?"

Be Specific

Broad questions can lead to broad answers, which might not give you the specific data you're looking for. Make sure your questions are targeted and clear.

Example: Instead of "Do you like our products?" ask "Do you like our new spring collection?"

Avoid Double-Barreled Questions

Double-barreled questions ask about two topics but allow for only one response. This can confuse respondents and skew your data.

Example: Instead of "Do you like our pricing and product quality?" break it down into "Do you like our pricing?" and "Do you like our product quality?"

Avoid Leading and Loaded Questions

Leading questions point respondents in a specific direction, while loaded questions contain an assumption. Both types can bias your survey results.

Example: Instead of "Don't you think our app is user-friendly?" ask "How would you rate the user-friendliness of our app?"

Provide a Neutral Option

Sometimes respondents don't have a strong opinion either way. By providing a neutral option, you give them a choice without forcing them to lean in a direction they don't genuinely feel.

Consider Using Open-Ended Questions

These types of questions allow respondents to provide more detailed feedback. However, use them sparingly as they require more effort to answer.

Example: "What features would you like to see added to our product?"

Test Your Questions

Finally, test your questions with a small group before sending out the survey. This can help you spot confusing or poorly worded questions.

How many questions should be in a survey?

Finding the Goldilocks number of questions for your survey - not too many, not too few - can be a tricky task. The optimal number depends on your survey's complexity, the time you expect respondents to have, and the type of questions asked. As a rule of thumb, a survey should take no longer than 5-10 minutes to complete, which typically equates to around 10-20 questions.

What question order is best?

Ordering your questions correctly can have a significant impact on response rates and the quality of feedback you receive. Here are a few tips to consider:

Start with broad and general questions. These serve as a warm-up and are typically easier for respondents to answer.

Move to more specific questions. Once you have set the stage, you can delve into the specifics.

Place sensitive or potentially off-putting questions near the end. This ensures that you don't alienate respondents early.

End with demographic questions. These questions are often seen as less interesting, but they are essential for data segmentation.

Survey questions about personal information

Gathering personal information in your survey can help you segment your data and understand your audience better. But it's important to respect your respondents' privacy. Only ask for information that's absolutely necessary and always inform respondents why you're asking for it. Examples of such questions include "What is your age range?" or "What is your employment status?"

"What is your gender?" Survey question

Asking about gender nowadays in a survey can be delicate, and it's essential to approach this question with sensitivity. An inclusive way to ask this question is to provide multiple choices beyond just 'male' and 'female', such as 'prefer not to say' and 'other (please specify)'.

Example: "Which of the following best describes your gender? (1) Male (2) Female (3) Prefer not to say (4) Other (please specify)"

Survey question templates

Templates can be a great time-saver when creating a survey. Here are a few basic templates to get you started:

Satisfaction questions:

• On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with [product/service]?
• How would you rate your overall experience with [product/service]?
• How likely are you to recommend [product/service] to a friend or colleague?
• How satisfied were you with our customer service interaction?
• Are you satisfied with the quality of [product/service]?

Usage questions:

• How often do you use [product/service]?
• How frequently do you purchase [product/service]?
• On average, how many times a week do you use our [website/app]?
• How often do you use [specific feature] in our [product/service]?
• How often would you say you need to use our [product/service]?

Comparison questions:

• How does [product/service] compare to similar options on the market?
• In comparison to our competitors, how would you rate the value for money of our [product/service]?
• How would you compare the quality of our [product/service] to others you have used?
• Would you say our [product/service] meets your needs better than other options you've tried?
• How does our customer service compare to that of other companies you've interacted with?

Improvement questions:

• What can we do to improve [product/service]?
• Are there any features you would like us to add to our [product/service]?
• What changes would most improve our [product/service]?
• How could we make our [product/service] more useful for you?
• If you could change one thing about our [product/service], what would it be?

Survey questions generator

If you're struggling to come up with the perfect questions for your survey, LimeSurvey has got your back! Our powerful Survey Questions Generator can help you create compelling, effective questions in no time.

There you have it! The art of creating powerful survey questions demystified. Remember, the key to a successful survey is not only asking the right questions but asking them the right way. So, now that you're armed with these tips and tricks, it's time to create your own knockout survey!

Try out LimeSurvey now!

Happy surveying!

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Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety

.header_greentext{color:green!important;font-size:24px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_bluetext{color:blue!important;font-size:18px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_redtext{color:red!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_darkred{color:#803d2f!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_purpletext{color:purple!important;font-size:31px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_yellowtext{color:yellow!important;font-size:20px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_blacktext{color:black!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_whitetext{color:white!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_darkred{color:#803d2f!important;}.Green_Header{color:green!important;font-size:24px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Blue_Header{color:blue!important;font-size:18px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Red_Header{color:red!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Purple_Header{color:purple!important;font-size:31px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Yellow_Header{color:yellow!important;font-size:20px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Black_Header{color:black!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.White_Header{color:white!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;} What are meditation and mindfulness?

Meditation has a history that goes back thousands of years, and many meditative techniques began in Eastern traditions. The term “meditation” refers to a variety of practices that focus on mind and body integration and are used to calm the mind and enhance overall well-being. Some types of meditation involve maintaining mental focus on a particular sensation, such as breathing, a sound, a visual image, or a mantra, which is a repeated word or phrase. Other forms of meditation include the practice of mindfulness, which involves maintaining attention or awareness on the present moment without making judgments.

Programs that teach meditation or mindfulness may combine the practices with other activities. For example, mindfulness-based stress reduction is a program that teaches mindful meditation, but it also includes discussion sessions and other strategies to help people apply what they have learned to stressful experiences. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy integrates mindfulness practices with aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy.

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Meditation and mindfulness practices usually are considered to have few risks. However, few studies have examined these practices for potentially harmful effects, so it isn’t possible to make definite statements about safety. 

.header_greentext{color:green!important;font-size:24px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_bluetext{color:blue!important;font-size:18px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_redtext{color:red!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_darkred{color:#803d2f!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_purpletext{color:purple!important;font-size:31px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_yellowtext{color:yellow!important;font-size:20px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_blacktext{color:black!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_whitetext{color:white!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_darkred{color:#803d2f!important;}.Green_Header{color:green!important;font-size:24px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Blue_Header{color:blue!important;font-size:18px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Red_Header{color:red!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Purple_Header{color:purple!important;font-size:31px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Yellow_Header{color:yellow!important;font-size:20px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Black_Header{color:black!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.White_Header{color:white!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;} More

A 2020 review examined 83 studies (a total of 6,703 participants) and found that 55 of those studies reported negative experiences related to meditation practices. The researchers concluded that about 8 percent of participants had a negative effect from practicing meditation, which is similar to the percentage reported for psychological therapies. The most commonly reported negative effects were anxiety and depression. In an analysis limited to 3 studies (521 participants) of mindfulness-based stress reduction programs, investigators found that the mindfulness practices were not more harmful than receiving no treatment.

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According to the National Health Interview Survey, an annual nationally representative survey, the percentage of U.S. adults who practiced meditation more than doubled between 2002 and 2022, from 7.5 to 17.3 percent. Of seven complementary health approaches for which data were collected in the 2022 survey, meditation was the most popular, beating out yoga (used by 15.8 percent of adults), chiropractic care (11.0 percent), massage therapy (10.9 percent), guided imagery/progressive muscle relaxation (6.4 percent), acupuncture (2.2 percent), and naturopathy (1.3 percent).

For children aged 4 to 17 years, data are available for 2017; in that year, 5.4 percent of U.S. children used meditation. 

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In a 2012 U.S. survey, 1.9 percent of 34,525 adults reported that they had practiced mindfulness meditation in the past 12 months. Among those responders who practiced mindfulness meditation exclusively, 73 percent reported that they meditated for their general wellness and to prevent diseases, and most of them (approximately 92 percent) reported that they meditated to relax or reduce stress. In more than half of the responses, a desire for better sleep was a reason for practicing mindfulness meditation.

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Meditation and mindfulness practices may have a variety of health benefits and may help people improve the quality of their lives. Recent studies have investigated if meditation or mindfulness helps people manage anxiety, stress, depression, pain, or symptoms related to withdrawal from nicotine, alcohol, or opioids. 

Other studies have looked at the effects of meditation or mindfulness on weight control or sleep quality. 

However, much of the research on these topics has been preliminary or not scientifically rigorous. Because the studies examined many different types of meditation and mindfulness practices, and the effects of those practices are hard to measure, results from the studies have been difficult to analyze and may have been interpreted too optimistically.

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• A 2018 NCCIH-supported analysis of 142 groups of participants with diagnosed psychiatric disorders such as anxiety or depression examined mindfulness meditation approaches compared with no treatment and with established evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressant medications. The analysis included more than 12,000 participants, and the researchers found that for treating anxiety and depression, mindfulness-based approaches were better than no treatment at all, and they worked as well as the evidence-based therapies.
• A 2021 analysis of 23 studies (1,815 participants) examined mindfulness-based practices used as treatment for adults with diagnosed anxiety disorders. The studies included in the analysis compared the mindfulness-based interventions (alone or in combination with usual treatments) with other treatments such cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoeducation, and relaxation. The analysis showed mixed results for the short-term effectiveness of the different mindfulness-based approaches. Overall, they were more effective than the usual treatments at reducing the severity of anxiety and depression symptoms, but only some types of mindfulness approaches were as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy. However, these results should be interpreted with caution because the risk of bias for all of the studies was unclear. Also, the few studies that followed up with participants for periods longer than 2 months found no long-term effects of the mindfulness-based practices.
• A 2019 analysis of 23 studies that included a total of 1,373 college and university students looked at the effects of yoga, mindfulness, and meditation practices on symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. Although the results showed that all the practices had some effect, most of the studies included in the review were of poor quality and had a high risk of bias.

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Few high-quality studies have examined the effects of meditation and mindfulness on blood pressure. According to a 2017 statement from the American Heart Association, the practice of meditation may have a possible benefit, but its specific effects on blood pressure have not been determined.

• A 2020 review of 14 studies (including more than 1,100 participants) examined the effects of mindfulness practices on the blood pressure of people who had health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or cancer. The analysis showed that for people with these health conditions, practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction was associated with a significant reduction in blood pressure.

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Studies examining the effects of mindfulness or meditation on acute and chronic pain have produced mixed results.

• A 2020 report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concluded that mindfulness-based stress reduction was associated with short-term (less than 6 months) improvement in low-back pain but not fibromyalgia pain.
• A 2020 NCCIH-supported analysis of five studies of adults using opioids for acute or chronic pain (with a total of 514 participants) found that meditation practices were strongly associated with pain reduction.
• Acute pain, such as pain from surgery, traumatic injuries, or childbirth, occurs suddenly and lasts only a short time. A 2020 analysis of 19 studies examined the effects of mindfulness-based therapies for acute pain and found no evidence of reduced pain severity. However, the same analysis found some evidence that the therapies could improve a person’s tolerance for pain.
• A 2017 analysis of 30 studies (2,561 participants) found that mindfulness meditation was more effective at decreasing chronic pain than several other forms of treatment. However, the studies examined were of low quality.
• A 2019 comparison of treatments for chronic pain did an overall analysis of 11 studies (697 participants) that evaluated cognitive behavioral therapy, which is the usual psychological intervention for chronic pain; 4 studies (280 participants) that evaluated mindfulness-based stress reduction; and 1 study (341 participants) of both therapies. The comparison found that both approaches were more effective at reducing pain intensity than no treatment, but there was no evidence of any important difference between the two approaches.
• A 2019 review found that mindfulness-based approaches did not reduce the frequency, length, or pain intensity of headaches. However, the authors of this review noted that their results are likely imprecise because only five studies (a total of 185 participants) were included in the analysis, and any conclusions made from the analysis should be considered preliminary.

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Mindfulness meditation practices may help reduce insomnia and improve sleep quality.

• A 2019 analysis of 18 studies (1,654 total participants) found that mindfulness meditation practices improved sleep quality more than education-based treatments. However, the effects of mindfulness meditation approaches on sleep quality were no different than those of evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and exercise.

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Several clinical trials have investigated if mindfulness-based approaches such as mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) might help people recover from substance use disorders. These approaches have been used to help people increase their awareness of the thoughts and feelings that trigger cravings and learn ways to reduce their automatic reactions to those cravings.

• A 2018 review of 37 studies (3,531 total participants) evaluated the effectiveness of several mindfulness-based approaches to substance use disorder treatment and found that they significantly decreased participants’ craving levels. The mindfulness-based practices were slightly better than other therapies at promoting abstinence from substance use.
• A 2017 analysis specifically focused on MBRP examined 9 studies (901 total participants) of this approach. The analysis concluded that MBRP was not more effective at preventing substance use relapses than other treatments such as health education and cognitive behavioral therapy. However, MBRP did slightly reduce cravings and symptoms of withdrawal associated with alcohol use disorders.

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Studies have suggested that meditation and mindfulness may help reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

• A 2018 review supported by NCCIH examined the effects of meditation (in 2 studies, 179 total participants) and other mindfulness-based practices (in 6 studies, 332 total participants) on symptoms of PTSD. Study participants included veterans, nurses, and people who experienced interpersonal violence. Six of the eight studies reported that participants had a reduction of PTSD symptoms after receiving some form of mindfulness-based treatment.
• A 2018 clinical trial funded by the U.S. Department of Defense compared the effectiveness of meditation, health education, and prolonged exposure therapy, a widely accepted treatment for PTSD recommended by the American Psychological Association. Prolonged exposure therapy helps people reduce their PTSD symptoms by teaching them to gradually remember traumatic memories, feelings, and situations. The study included 203 veterans with PTSD as a result of their active military service. The results of the study showed that meditation was as effective as prolonged exposure therapy at reducing PTSD symptoms and depression, and it was more effective than PTSD health education. The veterans who used meditation also showed improvement in mood and overall quality of life.

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Mindfulness-based approaches may improve the mental health of people with cancer.

• A 2019 analysis of 29 studies (3,274 total participants) of mindfulness-based practices showed that use of mindfulness practices among people with cancer significantly reduced psychological distress, fatigue, sleep disturbance, pain, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, most of the participants were women with breast cancer, so the effects may not be similar for other populations or other types of cancer.

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Studies have suggested possible benefits of meditation and mindfulness programs for losing weight and managing eating behaviors.

• A 2017 review of 15 studies (560 total participants) looked at the effects of mindfulness-based practices on the mental and physical health of adults with obesity or who were overweight. The review found that these practices were very effective methods for managing eating behaviors but less effective at helping people lose weight. Mindfulness-based approaches also helped participants manage symptoms of anxiety and depression.
• A 2018 analysis of 19 studies (1,160 total participants) found that mindfulness programs helped people lose weight and manage eating-related behaviors such as binge, emotional, and restrained eating. The results of the analysis showed that treatment programs, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, that combine formal meditation and mindfulness practices with informal mindfulness exercises were especially effective methods for losing weight and managing eating.

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Several studies have been done on using meditation and mindfulness practices to improve symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the studies have not been of high quality and the results have been mixed, so evidence that meditation or mindfulness approaches will help people manage symptoms of ADHD is not conclusive.

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Some research suggests that meditation and mindfulness practices may affect the functioning or structure of the brain. Studies have used various methods of measuring brain activity to look for measurable differences in the brains of people engaged in mindfulness-based practices. Other studies have theorized that training in meditation and mindfulness practices can change brain activity. However, the results of these studies are difficult to interpret, and the practical implications are not clear.

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NCCIH supports a variety of meditation and mindfulness studies, including:

• An evaluation of how the brain responds to the use of mindfulness meditation as part of a combined treatment for migraine pain.
• A study of the effectiveness of mindfulness therapy and medication (buprenorphine) as a treatment for opioid use disorder.
• A study of a mindfulness training program designed to help law enforcement officers improve their mental health by managing stress and increasing resilience.

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• Don’t use meditation or mindfulness to replace conventional care or as a reason to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem.
• Ask about the training and experience of the instructor of the meditation or mindfulness practice you are considering.
• Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions

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Nccih clearinghouse.

The NCCIH Clearinghouse provides information on NCCIH and complementary and integrative health approaches, including publications and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature. The Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.

Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-644-6226

Telecommunications relay service (TRS): 7-1-1

Website: https://www.nccih.nih.gov

Email: [email protected] (link sends email)

Know the Science

NCCIH and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide tools to help you understand the basics and terminology of scientific research so you can make well-informed decisions about your health. Know the Science features a variety of materials, including interactive modules, quizzes, and videos, as well as links to informative content from Federal resources designed to help consumers make sense of health information.

Explaining How Research Works (NIH)

Know the Science: How To Make Sense of a Scientific Journal Article

Understanding Clinical Studies (NIH)

A service of the National Library of Medicine, PubMed® contains publication information and (in most cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals. For guidance from NCCIH on using PubMed, see How To Find Information About Complementary Health Approaches on PubMed .

Website: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

NIH Clinical Research Trials and You

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a website, NIH Clinical Research Trials and You, to help people learn about clinical trials, why they matter, and how to participate. The site includes questions and answers about clinical trials, guidance on how to find clinical trials through ClinicalTrials.gov and other resources, and stories about the personal experiences of clinical trial participants. Clinical trials are necessary to find better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases.

Website: https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-clinical-research-trials-you

Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures & Results (RePORTER)

RePORTER is a database of information on federally funded scientific and medical research projects being conducted at research institutions.

Website: https://reporter.nih.gov

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• Levine GN, Lange RA, Bairey-Merz CN, et al.  Meditation and cardiovascular risk reduction: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association . Journal of the American Heart Association. 2017;6(10):e002218.
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.header_greentext{color:green!important;font-size:24px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_bluetext{color:blue!important;font-size:18px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_redtext{color:red!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_darkred{color:#803d2f!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_purpletext{color:purple!important;font-size:31px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_yellowtext{color:yellow!important;font-size:20px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_blacktext{color:black!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_whitetext{color:white!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_darkred{color:#803d2f!important;}.Green_Header{color:green!important;font-size:24px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Blue_Header{color:blue!important;font-size:18px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Red_Header{color:red!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Purple_Header{color:purple!important;font-size:31px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Yellow_Header{color:yellow!important;font-size:20px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Black_Header{color:black!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.White_Header{color:white!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;} Other References

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• Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education. Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research . Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2011. 
• Kabat-Zinn J, Massion AO, Kristeller J, et al. Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry. 1992;149(7):936-943.
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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Elizabeth Ginexi, Ph.D., Erin Burke Quinlan, Ph.D., and David Shurtleff, Ph.D., NCCIH, for their review of this 2022 publication.

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• Open access
• Published: 30 August 2024

Medical students in distress: a mixed methods approach to understanding the impact of debt on well-being

• Adrienne Yang 1   na1 ,
• Simone Langness 2   na1 ,
• Lara Chehab 1   na1 ,
• Nikhil Rajapuram 3 ,
• Li Zhang 4 &
• Amanda Sammann 1  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  947 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

Nearly three in four U.S. medical students graduate with debt in six-figure dollar amounts which impairs students emotionally and academically and impacts their career choices and lives long after graduation. Schools have yet to develop systems-level solutions to address the impact of debt on students’ well-being. The objectives of this study were to identify students at highest risk for debt-related stress, define the impact on medical students’ well-being, and to identify opportunities for intervention.

This was a mixed methods, cross-sectional study that used quantitative survey analysis and human-centered design (HCD). We performed a secondary analysis on a national multi-institutional survey on medical student wellbeing, including univariate and multivariate logistic regression, a comparison of logistic regression models with interaction terms, and analysis of free text responses. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with a sample of medical student respondents and non-student stakeholders to develop insights and design opportunities.

Independent risk factors for high debt-related stress included pre-clinical year (OR 1.75), underrepresented minority (OR 1.40), debt $20–100 K (OR 4.85), debt >$100K (OR 13.22), private school (OR 1.45), West Coast region (OR 1.57), and consideration of a leave of absence for wellbeing (OR 1.48). Mental health resource utilization ( p  = 0.968) and counselors ( p  = 0.640) were not protective factors against debt-related stress. HCD analysis produced 6 key insights providing additional context to the quantitative findings, and associated opportunities for intervention.

Conclusions

We used an innovative combination of quantitative survey analysis and in-depth HCD exploration to develop a multi-dimensional understanding of debt-related stress among medical students. This approach allowed us to identify significant risk factors impacting medical students experiencing debt-related stress, while providing context through stakeholder voices to identify opportunities for system-level solutions.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

Over the past few decades, it has become increasingly costly for aspiring physicians to attend medical school and pursue a career in medicine. Most recent data shows that 73% of medical students graduate with debt often amounting to six-Fig [ 1 ]. – an amount that is steadily increasing every year [ 2 ]. In 2020, the median cost of a four-year medical education in the United States (U.S.) was $250,222 for public and $330,180 for private school students [ 1 ] – a price that excludes collateral costs such as living, food, and lifestyle expenses. To meet these varied costs, students typically rely on financial support from their families, personal means, scholarships, or loans. Students are thereby graduating with more debt than ever before and staying indebted for longer, taking 10 to 20 years to repay their student loans regardless of specialty choice or residency length [ 1 ].

Unsurprisingly, higher debt burden has been negatively correlated with generalized severe distress among medical students [ 3 , 4 ], in turn jeopardizing their academic performance and potentially impacting their career choices [ 5 ]. Studies have found that medical students with higher debt relative to their peers were more likely to choose a specialty with a higher average annual income [ 5 ], less likely to plan to practice in underserved locations, and less likely to choose primary care specialties [ 4 ]. However, a survey of 2019 graduating medical students from 142 medical schools found that, when asked to rank factors that influenced their specialty choice, students ranked economic factors, including debt and income, at the bottom of the list. With this inconsistency in the literature, authors Youngclaus and Fresne declare that further studies and analysis are required to better understand this important relationship [ 1 ].

Unfortunately, debt and its negative effects disproportionately impact underrepresented minority (URM) students, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native [ 6 ], who generally have more debt than students who are White or Asian American [ 1 ]. In 2019, among medical school graduates who identified as Black, 91% reported having education debt, in comparison to the 73% reported by all graduates [ 1 ]. Additionally, Black medical school graduates experience a higher median education debt amount relative to other groups of students, with a median debt of $230,000 [ 1 ]. This inequitable distribution of debt disproportionately places financial-related stress on URM students [ 7 ], discouraging students from pursuing a medical education [ 8 ]. These deterring factors can lead to a physician workforce that lacks diversity and compromises health equity outcomes [ 9 ].

Limited literature exists to identify the impact of moderating variables on the relationship between debt and debt-related stress. Financial knowledge is found to be a strong predictor of self-efficacy and confidence in students’ financial management, leading to financial optimism and potentially alleviating debt stress [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Numerous studies list mindfulness practices, exercise, and connecting with loved ones as activities that promote well-being and reduce generalized stress among students [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. However, to date, no studies have examined whether these types of stress-reducing activities, by alleviating generalized stress, reduce debt-related stress. Studies have not examined whether resources such as physician role models may act as a protective factor against debt-related stress.

Despite the growing recognition that debt burdens medical students emotionally and academically, we have yet to develop systemic solutions that target students’ unmet needs in this space. We performed the first multi-institutional national study on generalized stress among medical students, and found that debt burden was one of several risk factors for generalized stress among medical students [ 3 ]. The goal of this study is to build upon our findings by using a mixed methods approach combining rigorous survey analysis and human-centered design to develop an in-depth understanding of the impact that education debt has on medical students’ emotional and academic well-being and to identify opportunities for intervention.

We conducted a mixed methods, cross-sectional study that explored the impact of debt-related stress on US medical students’ well-being and professional development. This study was conducted at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). All activities were approved by the UCSF institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained verbally from participants prior to interviews. We performed a secondary analysis of the quantitative and qualitative results of the Medical Student Wellbeing Survey (MSWS), a national multi-institutional survey on medical student wellbeing administered between 2019 and 2020, to determine risk factors and moderating variables of debt-related stress. To further explore these variables, we used human-centered design (HCD), an approach to problem-solving that places users at the center of the research process in order to determine key pain points and unmet needs, and co-design solutions tailored to their unique context [ 16 ]. In this study, we performed in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a purposefully sampled cohort of medical students and a convenience sample of non-student stakeholders to determine key insights representing students’ unmet needs, and identified opportunities to ameliorate the impact of debt-related stress on medical students.

Quantitative data: the medical student wellbeing survey

The MSWS is a survey to assess medical student wellbeing that was administered from September 2019 to February 2020 to medical students actively enrolled in accredited US or Caribbean medical schools [ 3 ]. Respondents of the MSWS represent a national cohort of > 3,000 medical students from > 100 unique medical school programs. The MSWS utilizes a combination of validated survey questions, such as the Medical Student Wellbeing Index (MS-WBI), and questions based on foundations established from previously validated wellbeing survey methods [ 3 ]. Questions generally focused on student demographics, sources of stress during medical school, specialty consideration, and frequency in activities that promote wellbeing. Some questions ask students to rate physical, emotional, and social domains of wellbeing using a five-point Likert scale. Questions of interest from the MSWS included debt-related stress, generalized stress, intended specialty choice, and utilization of well-being resources and counselors. An additional variable investigated was average school tuition, which was determined by a review of publicly available data for each student’s listed medical school [ 17 ]. All data from the MSWS was de-identified for research purposes.

Stress: debt-related and generalized stress

Debt stress was assessed by the question, “How does financial debt affect your stress level?” Students responded using a five-point Likert scale from − 2 to 2: significant increase in stress (-2), mild increase (-1), no change (0), mild decrease (1), or significant decrease (2). Responses for this question were evaluated as a binary index of ‘high debt stress,’ defined as a response of − 2, versus ‘low debt stress,’ defined as a response of − 1 or 0. In addition, generalized stress from the MSWS was assessed by questions from the embedded MS-WBI, which produced a score. Previous studies have shown that the score can be used to create a binary index of distress: a score ≥ 4 has been associated with severe distress, and a score < 4 has been associated with no severe distress [ 18 ].

Intended specialty

We categorized students’ responses to intended specialty choice by competitiveness, using the 2018 National Resident Match Program data [ 19 ]. ‘High’ and ‘low’ competitiveness were defined as an average United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score of > 240 or ≤ 230, respectively, or if > 18% or < 4% of applicants were unmatched, respectively. ‘Moderate’ competition was defined as any specialty not meeting criteria for either ‘high’ or ‘low’ competitiveness.

Resource utilization

The MSWS assessed the utilization of well-being resources by the question, “At your institution, which of the following well-being resources have you utilized? (Select all that apply)” Students responded by selecting each of the resource(s) they used: Mental Health and Counseling Services, Peer Mentorship, Self-Care Education, Mindfulness/Meditation Classes, Community Building Events, and Other. The number of choices that the student selected was calculated, allowing for placement into a category depending on the amount of resource utilization: 0–20%, 20–40%, 40–60%, 60–80%, 80–100%. Responses for this question were evaluated as a binary index of ‘high resource utilization,’ defined as a response of 80–100% resource utilization, versus ‘low resource utilization,’ defined as a response of < 80% resource utilization. The co-authors collaboratively decided upon this “top-box score approach,” [ 20 ] which is the sum of percentages for the most favorable top one, two or three highest categories on a scale, to assess if the most extreme users (80–100%) of these supportive resources experienced a decrease in debt-related stress. Additionally, use of a counselor for mental health support was assessed by the question, “Which of the following activities do you use to cope with difficult situations (or a difficult day on clinical rotation)? (Select all that apply).” Students responded by selecting the activities that they use from a list (e.g., listen to music, mindfulness practice, meet with a counselor, exercise). Responses for this question were evaluated as a binary index of ‘Meeting with a Counselor,’ defined by selection of that option, versus ‘Not Meeting with a Counselor,’ defined as not selecting that option.

Quantitative data analysis

We performed a secondary analysis of quantitative data from the MSWS to calculate frequencies and odds ratios for the five quantitative variables described above (debt-related stress, generalized stress, intended specialty, resource utilization, and school tuition). Tests performed are summarized in Table  1 (“Secondary Analysis Tests Performed”). Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were performed among students in the high debt stress (-2) and low debt stress (0 or − 1) for select variables, such as clinical phase, URM, debt burden, specialty competitiveness, and average school tuition, to identify risk factors for high debt stress. To determine if ‘high resource utilization’ or ‘meeting with a counselor’ were moderating variables on the relationship between debt burden and debt stress, we applied the logistic regression with the interaction terms of ‘debt’ and ‘resource utilization’ (high vs. low). Then, we performed a similar analysis but replaced the interaction term with ‘debt’ and ‘meeting with a counselor’ (yes vs. no). We also performed Chi-squared tests to determine the degree to which severe distress increases as debt burden increases, if specialty competitiveness varied by debt stress, and if the proportion of students who identified as URM, in comparison to non-URM, differed by debt level. All statistical tests were two-sided and p  < 0.05 was considered significant. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS version 9.4 and R version 4.0.5.

Qualitative data: interviews and MSWS free text responses

Free-text entries.

At the conclusion of the 2019–2020 MSWS, respondents had unlimited text space to provide comments to two prompts. The first prompt read, “What well-being resource(s), if offered at your school, do you feel would be most useful?” The second prompt read “If you have any further comments to share, please write them below.” Answers to either prompt that pertained to debt, cost of medical school, or finances were extracted for the purpose of this study and analyzed with the other qualitative data subsequently described.

Interview selection & purposive sampling

Interview participants were identified from a repository of respondents to the MSWS who had attached their email address and expressed willingness at the time of the survey to be contacted for an interview [ 3 ]. Our recruitment period was between April 19, 2021 to July 2, 2021. The recruitment process involved sending invitations to all of the email addresses in the list to participate in a 45-minute interview on the topic of student debt and wellbeing. The invitation included a brief screening questionnaire asking students to report updates to questions that were previously asked in the MSWS (i.e.: clinical training year, marital status, dependents). Additional novel questions included primary financial support system, estimate of financial support systems’ household income in the last year, estimate of educational financial debt at conclusion of medical school, student’s plan for paying off debt, and degree of stress (using a Likert scale from 0 to 10) over current and future education debt.

Purposeful sampling of medical student stakeholders for interviews allowed us to maximize heterogeneity. We utilized the students’ responses to the brief screening questionnaire with their corresponding responses to demographic questions from the MSWS to select interviewees that varied by gender, race, presence of severe distress, type of medical school (public vs. private), region of school, and tuition level of school. The sampling ensured a diverse representation, in accordance with HCD methodology [ 21 ]. Brief descriptions of participant experiences are listed in Table  2 (“Interviewee Descriptors”). Students who were selected for interviews were sent a confirmation email to participate. Interviews were to be conducted until thematic saturation was reached. In addition, to include representation from the entire ecosystem, we interviewed a financial aid counselor at a medical school and a pre-medical student, chosen through convenience sampling. We directly contacted those two individuals for interviews.

Semi-structured interviews

All interviews were conducted between April 2021 and July 2021 over Zoom. A single researcher conducted interviews over an average of 45 min. Informed consent was obtained verbally from participants prior to interviews; interviews and their recordings only proceeded following verbal consent. The interview guide (S1 File) included open-ended questions about students’ experience of debt-related stress and their reflections on its consequences. The audio recordings were transcribed using Otter.ai, a secure online transcription service that converts audio files to searchable text files. Interview responses were redacted to preserve anonymity of respondent identity.

Qualitative data analysis

Interview data was analyzed using a general inductive approach to thematic analysis. Specifically, two researchers (SL and AY) independently inductively analyzed transcripts from the first three semi-structured interviews to come up with themes relating to the experiences and consequences of debt-related stress. They reconciled discrepancies in themes through discussion to create the codebook (S2 File), which included 18 themes. SL and AY independently coded each subsequent interview transcript as well as the free text responses from the survey, meeting to reach a consensus on representative quotes for applicable themes.

Following the HCD methodology, two researchers met with the core team to discuss the themes from the interviews and translate them into “insight statements”, which reflect key tensions and challenges experienced by stakeholders. Insight statements carefully articulate stakeholders’ unique perspectives and motivations in a way that is actionable for solution development [ 22 ]. As such, these insight statements are reframed into design opportunities, which suggest that multiple solutions are possible [ 23 , 24 ]. For example, discussion about themes 1a and 1b (“Questionable Job Security” and “Disappointing MD salary and Satisfaction Payoff”) revealed that they were related in the way that they led students to wonder whether the investment in medical school would be offset by the salary payoff. This led to the identification of the tension for low-income students in particular, who have to weigh this tradeoff earlier in their medical school journey than other students who are less financially-constrained (insight: “Medical school is a risky investment for low-income students”.) The design opportunity logically translates into a call to action for brainstorming and solution development: “Support low-income students to make values-based tradeoffs when considering a career in medicine.”

MSWS respondents and quantitative analysis

A total of 3,162 students responded to the MSWS and their sociodemographic characteristics have been described previously [ 3 ]. A total of 2,771 respondents (87.6%) responded to our study’s variables of interest, including a response for ‘high debt stress’ (–2) or ‘low debt stress’ (–1 or 0). Table  3 lists the distribution of debt-related stress across different variables for all respondents.

Risk factors for debt-related stress

Factors that were independently associated with higher debt-related stress included being in pre-clinical year (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.30–2.36, p  < 0.001), identifying as URM (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.03–1.88), p  = 0.029), having debt $20–100 K (OR 4.85, 95% CI 3.32–7.30, p  < 0.001), debt > 100 K (OR 13.22, 95% CI 9.05–19.90, p  < 0.001), attending a private medical school (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.06–1.98, p  = 0.019), attending medical school on the West Coast (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.17–2.13, p  = 0.003), and having considered taking a leave of absence for wellbeing (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.13–1.93, p  = 0.004) (Table  4 , S1 Table).

Severe distress by debt amount

Levels of generalized severe distress differed across debt burden groups. As debt level increased, the percentage of individuals with “severe” distress increased ( p  < 0.001).

Debt and career decisions

There were significant differences between the high debt stress versus low debt stress groups and plans to pursue highly vs. moderately vs. minimally competitive specialties ( p  = 0.027) (Fig.  1 ) A greater percentage of low debt stress students were pursuing a highly competitive specialty or a minimally competitive specialty. A greater percentage of high debt stress students were pursuing a moderately competitive specialty. As shown in Table  4 , there were no differences in debt-associated stress between students who choose different specialties, such as medical versus surgical versus mixed (medical/surgical).

Debt stress by specialty competitiveness

URM students’ experience of debt

URM identity was an independent risk factor for higher debt-related stress (Table  4 ) In addition, debt levels varied between those who identify as URM versus non-URM ( p  < 0.001). Students identifying as URM tended to have higher debt than those who did not. Although the percentage of non-URM students was higher than that of URM students within the lowest debt burden category (<$20k), among all higher debt burden categories, including $20–100 K, $100–300 K, and >$300K, the percentage of URM students was higher than the percentage of non-URM students.

Moderating factors on the relationship between debt and debt stress

Protective factors such as high degree of mental health resource utilization and meeting with a counselor did not reduce the impact of debt burden on debt stress. Among students who reported a high degree of mental health resource utilization, there was no impact on the relationship between debt and debt stress ( p  = 0.968). Similarly, meeting with a counselor had no impact on the relationship between debt and debt stress ( p  = 0.640).

Interview respondents and qualitative analysis

We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 11 medical students, who are briefly described in Table  2 . We reached thematic saturation with 11 interviews, a point at which we found recurring themes. Therefore, no further interviews were needed. Among the medical student interviewees, there was representation from all regions, including the Northeast ( n  = 3), West Coast ( n  = 5), Midwest ( n  = 2), and South ( n  = 1). Students were also from all clinical phases, including pre-clinical ( n  = 3), clinical ( n  = 4), gap year/other ( n  = 2), and post-clinical ( n  = 2). Most interviewees were female ( n  = 8) and 5 of the interviewees identified as URM. Financial support systems were diverse, including self ( n  = 3), spouse/partner ( n  = 3), and parents/other ( n  = 5). Most interviewees reported low debt stress ( n  = 8), as opposed to high debt stress ( n  = 3). 55% of interviewees planned to pursue specialties that pay <$300K ( n  = 6), with some pursuing specialties that pay $300–400 K ( n  = 2) and >$400K ( n  = 3).

Among the MSWS free-text responses, to the prompt, “What well-being resource(s), if offered at your school, do you feel would be most useful?” 20 of 118 respondents (16.9%) provided free-text responses that pertained to debt, cost of medical school, or finances. To the prompt “If you have any further comments to share, please write them below” 11 of 342 students (3.2%) provided relevant free-text responses. Analysis of the free-text responses and semi-structured interviews revealed 6 distinct insights (Table  5 ), with each insight translated into an actionable design opportunity.

Medical school is a risky investment for low-income students.

Description

The personal and financial sacrifices required for low-income students to attend medical school and pursue a career in medicine outweigh the benefits of becoming a physician. When considering a career in medicine, students feel discouraged by questionable job security (theme 1a) and reduced financial compensation (theme 1b) – a combination that jeopardizes immediate and long-term job satisfaction. Some students feel hopeful that their decision to pursue medicine will be personally rewarding (1b.6) and their salaries will stabilize (1a.1, 1a.5), but many low-income students experience doubt about whether they made the right career choice (1b.2, 1b.4, 1b.6), and feel stressed that they will be in debt for longer than they expected (1a.3, 1a.4, 1b.1, 1b.5). Support low-income students to make values-based tradeoffs when considering a career in medicine.

Design opportunity

Support low-income students to make values-based tradeoffs when considering a career in medicine.

Medical schools lack the adaptive infrastructure to be welcoming to low-income students.

Students face financial challenges from the moment they apply to medical school (theme 2a), a costly process that limits admissions options for low-income students due to their inability to pay for numerous application fees (2a.1) and expensive test preparation courses (2a.2, 2a.3). Once students begin medical school, they feel unsupported in their varied responsibilities towards their families (theme 2b) and additional financial needs (theme 2c), requiring them to make tradeoffs with their education and personal lives (2b.2, 2c.1).

Design opportunity 2

Develop flexible systems that can recognize and accommodate students’ complex financial needs during medical school.

Students worry about the impact that their medical school debt has on their present and future families, which compounds feelings of guilt and anxiety.

For students who need to take loans, the decision to pursue a career in medicine is a collective investment with their families. Students feel guilty about the sacrifices their families have to make for the sake of their career (theme 3a) and feel pressure to continue to provide financially for their family while having debt (theme 3b). Students are stressed about acquiring more debt throughout their training (3a.1) and the impact that has on loved ones who are dependent on them (3a.4, 3a.5, 3b.2), especially with respect to ensuring their financial security in the future (3b.4).

Design opportunity 3

Create an environment that acknowledges and accounts for the burden of responsibility that students face towards their families.

Without the appropriate education about loans, the stress of debt is exponentially worse.

Students feel the greatest fear around loans when they do not understand them, including the process of securing loans and paying off debt (theme 4a). Students are overwhelmed by their loan amounts (4a.5) and lack the knowledge or resources to manage their debt (4a.1, 4a.2), making them uncertain about how they will become debt-free in the future (4a.3, 4a.4). Students reported that various resources helped to alleviate those burgeoning fears (theme 4b), including financial aid counselors (4b.2, 4b.3) and physician role models (4b.5, 4b.6) that generally increase knowledge and skills related to debt management (4b.1).

Design opportunity 4

Empower students to become experts in managing their debt by making loan-related resources more available and accessible.

The small, daily expenses are the most burdensome and cause the greatest amount of stress.

Students with educational debt are mentally unprepared for the burden of managing their daily living expenses (theme 5a), causing them to make significant lifestyle adjustments in the hopes to ease their resulting anxiety (theme 5b). These costs are immediate and tangible, compared to tuition costs which are more distant and require less frequent management (5a.3) Students learn to temper their expectations for living beyond a bare minimum during medical school (5a.1, 5b.2, 5b.4) and develop strategies to ensure that their necessary expenses are as low as possible (5b.1, 5b.2, 5b.3, 5b.4).

Design opportunity 5

Develop and distribute resources to support both short- and long-term financial costs for medical students.

Students view debt as a dark cloud that constrains their mental health and dictates their career trajectory.

The constant burden of educational debt constrains students’ abilities to control their mental health (theme 6a) and pursue their desired career path in medicine (themes 6b & 6c). Students feel controlled by their debt (6a.3) and concerned that it will impact their [ability] to live a personally fulfilling life (6a.1, 6a.2, 6c.6), especially with respect to pursuing their desired medical specialties (6b.1, 6c.3, 6c.5, 6c.6). Students with scholarships, as opposed to loans, felt more able to choose specialties that prioritized their values rather than their finances (6c.1, 6c.2), an affordance that impacts long-term career growth and satisfaction.

Design opportunity 6

Create a culture of confidence for managing debt and debt-stress among medical students.

This is the first multi-institutional national study to explore the impact of debt-related stress on medical students’ well-being in the United States. We used an innovative, mixed methods approach to better understand the factors that significantly affect debt-related stress, and propose opportunities for improving medical student well-being.

URM students

Analysis of survey results found that students who identify as URM are more likely to experience higher levels of debt-related stress than non-URM students. Our study also found that among all higher debt burden categories, debt levels were higher for URM students, findings consistent with studies that have shown the disproportionate burden of debt among URM students [ 1 ]. Our semi-structured interviews illuminated that students from low-income backgrounds feel unsupported by their medical schools in these varied financial stressors that extend beyond tuition costs (insight 2), leaving their needs unmet and increasing financial stress over time: “We don’t have different socio-economic classes in medicine because there’s constantly a cost that [isn’t] even factored into tuition cost [and] that we can’t take student loans for.” Many URM students feel especially stressed by their financial obligations towards their families (insight 3), and describe the decision to enter into medicine as one that is collective ( “the family’s going to school” ) rather than individual, placing additional pressure on themselves to succeed in their career: “ Being of low SES , the most significant stressor for me is the financing of medical school and the pull of responsibility for my family.” Several other studies from the literature confirm that students who identify as URM and first generation college or medical students are at higher risk for financial stress compared to their counterparts [ 7 ], and report that they feel as though it is their responsibility to honor their families through their educational and career pursuits [ 25 ]. Our study demonstrates and describes how low-income and URM students face numerous financial barriers in medical school, resulting in medical trainees that are less diverse than the patient populations they are serving [ 1 , 8 ].

Debt amount

Our quantitative analysis found that students with debt amounts over $100,000 are at much higher risk for experiencing severe stress than students with debt less than that amount. Although this finding may seem intuitive, it is important to highlight the degree to which this risk differs between these two cohorts. Students with debt amounts between $20,000 and $100,000 are approximately 5 times more likely to experience high stress than students with debt less than $20,000, while students with debt amounts over $100,000 are approximately 13 times more likely to experience severe stress when compared to the same cohort. Interview participants describe that the more debt they have, the less hopeful they feel towards achieving financial security (insight 1): “There are other healthcare professionals that will not accrue the same amount of loans that we will , and then may or may not have the same salary or privileges […] makes me question , did I do the right thing?” Students internalize this rising stress so as not to shift the feelings of guilt onto their families (insight 3), thereby compounding the psychological burden associated with large amounts of debt (insight 6): “As long as you’re in debt , you’re owned by someone or something and the sooner you can get out of it , the better; the sooner I can get started with my life.”

Pre-clinical students

According to our survey analysis, students who are in their pre-clinical years are at higher risk for stress than students in their clinical years. Our interview findings from insight 4 suggest that students feel initially overwhelmed and unsure about what questions to ask ( “One of my fears is that I don’t know what I don’t know”) or how to manage their loans so that it doesn’t have a permanent impact on their lives: “The biggest worry is , what if [the debt] becomes so large that I am never able to pay it off and it ends up ruining me financially.” Pre-clinical students may therefore feel unsure or ill-equipped to manage their loans, making them feel overwhelmed by the initial stimulus of debt. By the time students reach their clinical years, they may have had time to develop strategies for managing stress, acquire more financial knowledge, and/or normalize the idea of having debt.

Medical school characteristics

Our survey analysis found several risk factors related to medical school characteristics. First, we found that students who attended a private school were at higher risk for debt-related stress than students who attended a public school. Not only is the median 4-year cost of attendance in 2023 almost $100,000 higher in private compared to public medical schools [ 26 ], but it is also the case that financial aid packages are more liberally available for public schools due to state government funding [ 27 ]. This not only relieves students from having higher amounts of debt, but it also creates a more inclusive cohort of medical students. Insight 2 from our interviews suggests that private medical schools without the infrastructure to meet students’ varying financial needs force low-income students to make tradeoffs between their education and personal lives.

Another characteristic that was found to be a risk factor for debt stress was attending a medical school on the West Coast (compared to a non-coastal school.) This was a surprising finding given that tuition rates for both private and public schools on the West Coast are no higher than those in other regions [ 17 ]. The distribution of survey respondents did not vary significantly across regional categories, so no bias in sample size is suspected. While these interviews were not designed to address the reasoning behind students’ choice of medical school matriculation, there is a potential explanation for this finding. Historically, students match for residency programs that are in their home state or not far from their home state; [ 28 , 29 ] therefore, we speculate that students may prefer to settle on the West Coast, and may be willing to take on more financial debt in pursuit of their long-term practice and lifestyle goals.

Our quantitative analysis found that students who reported having considered taking a leave of absence for well-being purposes were at higher risk for debt-related stress. This cohort of students likely experience higher levels of stress as they are conscious of the negative impact it has on their life, and have already ruminated on leaving medical school. A study by Fallar et al. found that the period leading up to a leave of absence is particularly stressful for students because they are unfamiliar with the logistics of taking time off, and don’t feel as though leaving medical school is encouraged or normalized for students [ 30 ]. An interview with a student who did a joint MD and PhD program expressed having more time for herself during her PhD program, and described using money for activities that could alleviate stress (“I took figure skating during my PhD”) rather than create more stress by compromising on their lifestyle during medical school (insight 5). More research may be needed to better understand and support students considering taking a leave of absence from medical school.

• Specialty choice

Our study found that students with high debt stress pursue moderately competitive specialties compared to students with low debt stress. This may be explained by the fact that low debt stress gives students the freedom to pursue minimally competitive specialties, which may be more fulfilling to them but typically have lower salaries. Insight 6 further elaborates upon this finding that students with high debt stress deprioritize specialties for which they are passionate in favor of higher paying specialties that might alleviate their debt: “I love working with kids…but being an outpatient pediatrician just wasn’t going to be enough to justify the [private school] price tag.” Students with lower debt stress describe having the freedom to choose specialties that align with their values, regardless of anticipated salary: “Scholarships give me the freedom to do [specialties] that maybe are a little bit less well-paying in medicine.” Interestingly, certain studies examining the relationship between specialty choice and debt stress have found that high debt stress is associated with a higher likelihood of pursuing a more competitive, and presumably higher paying, specialty [ 5 ]. More research investigating the relationship between debt stress and specialty choice could illuminate opportunities for increasing a sense of agency and overall satisfaction among students for their career choices.

In our exploration of potential protective factors against the effects of debt-related stress, our survey analysis found that the two variables measured (high mental health resource utilization and meeting with a counselor) did not have any impact on reducing debt-related stress. This finding is inconsistent with the literature, which considers these activities to promote general well-being among students but has never been studied in the context of debt-related stress [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. A potential explanation is that the survey questions that assessed these activities were imperfect. For example, the question of meeting with a counselor was not a standalone question, but instead, was at the bottom of a list of other wellbeing activities; therefore, students may have been fatigued by the time they got to the bottom of the list and not selected it. Additionally, our definition of “high” mental health resource utilization may have been perceived as too strict (i.e.: 80–100%) and perhaps we would have seen effects at lower percentages of utilization (i.e.: 40–60%). Despite this finding, students describe in their interviews that having access to certain resources such as financial knowledge and physician role models can help to alleviate stress by helping them feel confident in managing their loans in the immediate and more distant future (insight 4): “I’ve had explicit discussions with physicians who went to med school , had debt , paid it off [.] the debt hasn’t hindered their life in any way. I think that just makes me feel a lot calmer.” This finding aligns with previous studies that suggest that financial knowledge, such as knowledge about loans and a payoff plan, confers confidence in students’ financial management [ 11 , 12 ]. These factors are also aligned with previous studies that suggest financial optimism, such as with a physician role model who successfully paid off loans, is associated with less financial stress [ 10 ].

Our quantitative analysis of risk factors helped us to identify which areas might significantly impact debt-related stress among medical students, while our qualitative analysis provided more in-depth insight into those risk factors for more human-centered intervention design. The HCD process not only provides additional context from the perspective of medical students, but also proposes distinct design opportunities upon which interventions may be designed and tested. Drawing from the six design opportunities outlined in this paper, we propose a solution on a national scale: lowering the cost of the MCAT and medical school applications to reduce the financial barrier to applying to medical school [ 31 ]. We also propose the following solutions that can be implemented at the level of medical schools to better support medical students facing debt-related stress: (1) providing adequate financial aid that prevents low-income students from needing to work while being in medical school [ 32 ], (2) providing targeted financial planning classes and counseling for first-year medical students who have taken loans [ 33 ], and (3) creating mentorship programs that pair medical students with debt with physician role models who had also had debt but successfully paid it off [ 34 ]. We encourage medical schools to consider these suggestions, choosing the ideas from the list that make sense and tailoring them as necessary for their students and their unique needs. Additionally, given that our quantitative portion of the study was a secondary analysis of a survey focused on general medical student well-being, a nationwide study is needed that is specifically designed to explore the topic of debt-related stress among medical students. Furthermore, more research is needed that assesses the impact of activities that promote well-being (e.g., access to therapy, mindfulness practices, exercise) on debt-related stress among medical students.

Limitations

Our study had some notable limitations. One potential limitation is that our data collection occurred between 2019 and 2021 for this publication in 2023. Additionally, as described in the original study [ 3 ], a limitation of the MSWS is the inability to determine a response rate of students due to the survey distribution by medical student liaisons from each medical school; under the reasonable assumption that the survey was distributed to every US allopathic medical student, the response rate was estimated to have been 8.7%. 3 An additional limitation is the potential for response bias [ 3 ]. A limitation of the qualitative interviews is the potential for response bias among the interviewees. Although we purposely sampled, the students who accepted the invitation to interview may have been students with extreme views, either very negative views of debt or very neutral views of debt. Additionally, the interviewees were not representative of all possible financial situations, given that most students were from private schools, which typically have higher tuition rates. Also, all students had debt amounts in the middle and high categories, with none in the low category. Finally, our model of risk factors for debt-related stress suggested the presence of negative confounding factors, which exerted effects on specific variables (i.e.: pre-clinical year, West Coast) for which univariate analysis found no significant associations but multivariate analysis did. We did not perform further analysis to identify which variables served as the negative confounding variables.

In conclusion, our mixed methods, cross-sectional study exploring debt-related stress and its impact on US medical students’ wellbeing and professional development revealed a set of risk factors and design opportunities for intervention. By using a combined quantitative and qualitative HCD approach, we were able to develop a broad, in-depth understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing medical students with education debt. With these efforts to support the well-being and academic success of students at higher risk of debt-related stress, medical education institutions can develop and nurture a more diverse medical field that can best support the needs of future patients.

Data availability

Data is provided within the supplementary information files.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the members of The Better Lab, including Devika Patel, Christiana Von Hippel, and Marianna Salvatori, for their support. We appreciate Pamela Derish (UCSF) for assistance in manuscript editing and the UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) for assistance in statistical analysis. This publication was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through UCSF-CTSI Grant Number UL1 TR001872. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

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Adrienne Yang, Simone Langness and Lara Chehab contributed equally to this work.

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Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

Adrienne Yang, Lara Chehab & Amanda Sammann

Department of Trauma Surgery, Sharp HealthCare, San Diego, CA, USA

Simone Langness

Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

Nikhil Rajapuram

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

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A.Y. and L.C. wrote the main manuscript text and prepared the figures. S.L. created the study design. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Yang, A., Langness, S., Chehab, L. et al. Medical students in distress: a mixed methods approach to understanding the impact of debt on well-being. BMC Med Educ 24 , 947 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05927-9

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