20 Top tips to writing effective surveys

Surveys are conducted for many reasons. By phrasing the questions and

structuring the answers surveys can be used in a multitude of ways and

for a variety of reasons. When compiling a survey don't loose sight

of its purpose.

The survey title is a golden opportunity to instantly summarise a survey's

objective and grab the attention of invited respondents. Respondents are

going to invest time in completing the survey so make them feel that their

investment is worthwhile.

Every question that is asked should be asked for a reason. Focus on 'need

to know' questions and minimise 'nice to know' information.

Care must be taken in wording a question. If a question is not clear

then there is every chance that respondents may interpret the question

differently to that intended by the publisher making any analysis of the

data meaningless or at the very least misleading



5. Avoid long questions

Try to use short sentences wherever possible. Long questions tend to

cause respondents discomfort and can lead to a higher level of incidents

where respondents abandon a survey.

Avoid confusing the respondent with a question like 'Do you like

football and tennis?'

It is important not to load the question. 'Should irresponsible

shop keepers who sell tobacco to children be prosecuted?' is unlikely

to have any value.

8. Ensure that the answer format used allows the respondent to answer

the question being asked

Allow the respondent to answer how they really feel or they may be less

inclined to complete the survey. As a last resort consider the benefit

of including a "Don't know", "Can't say"

or similar response option.

9. At the same time that you compile the survey consider, when

the survey is complete, how the compiled data is going be analysed

If a question is asked that allows a free text open ended response appreciate

that such information is likely to be difficult to score and/or summarised.

Consider grouping answers. For example "How long have you worked

here?" - 'less than 1 year', 'between 1 and 3

years' and 'more than 3'.

10. Ensure that the questionnaire flows

When asking questions group the questions into clear categories as this

makes the task of completing the survey easier for the participants.

11. Target your respondents

In some cases you will want to target a specific group, in others a cross

section. If you can't easily control the respondents consider including

questions/answers that will allow you to filter out respondents who don't

fit your target profile.

12. Allow the respondent to expand or make comments

Allowing the respondent to make additional comments will increase their

satisfaction level and will also give valuable feedback on the specific

questions and/or the survey as a whole. Remember though for a large sample

collection it may be difficult to analyse free text open ended responses.

13. If the survey you are conducting is to be confidential ensure

that your pledge is upheld

If you have assured the respondents that the survey is confidential ensure

that the individual data is not to be shared with anyone and the information

is not going to be used for any other purpose. Confidentiality must be

maintained at all times and any identifying information destroyed after

the survey is complete.

14. Weigh up the benefits of allowing respondents to be anonymous

or identifiable

If your respondents are to be anonymous then appreciate that you will

be unable to follow up or match "pre" or "post"

surveys. However in some cases allowing people to remain anonymous will

allow people to respond without possible peer pressure.

It is good practice to maintain a consistency in the format used for

responses. Keep in mind that when analysing the data radio buttons are

easier to analyse than check boxes that offer the respondent multiple

responses. Do not use a check box if a radio response would do.

16. Give the respondent an idea of how much time the survey will

take

Respondent drop out can occur if the survey appears to be a stream of

never ending questions. It is good practice to give an indication as to

how long the survey is likely to take so the respondents can choose the

best time to complete the survey.

17. Inform the respondents of the survey end date

Encourage respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but

advice respondents as to the surveys end date so that they have the opportunity

to schedule the necessary time.

Before publishing a live survey publish a small pilot survey to check

for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to ensure that the survey

is aesthetically pleasing.

19. Before publishing the survey proof read the survey several

times

Check and check again that the survey is grammatically correct and makes

sense. If possible get someone else to proof read the survey before you

publish, if no one else is available then take a break before checking

again.

To complete surveys respondents need to invest their time and should

be thanked either in a covering letter, at the end of completing the survey

or in a follow up letter. You may even want to consider incentives such

as a prize draw or reward.