SurveyMethods provides 23 different question types for designing your surveys, providing the flexibility you need to conduct effective surveys.
The question types are broken down into the following four categories:
Below you’ll see a description of each question type along with a sample question.
Choice-Based Questions
| Question Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Choice – One Answer Dropdown Menu Create a question where respondents can select a single answer from a dropdown list. |  |
| Choice – One Answer Option Buttons or Rating Scale Create a question where respondents can select a single answer from a rating scale or a customized list of option buttons. This question provides “If Other” and “Additional Comments” options. You can display the answer choices horizontally or vertically. |  |
| Choice – Multiple Answer Questions Create a question where respondents can select single or multiple answers from a list of options. This question provides an “If Other” option. You can display the answer choices horizontally or vertically. |  |
| Choice – Yes/No or True/False Create a question where respondents can select from predefined answer choices (Yes/No or True/False). This question provides an “Additional Comments” option. You can display the answer choices horizontally or vertically. |  |
| Points Question – One-Answer Option Buttons Create a question where respondents can select a single answer from a list of options. You can assign points/weights to each answer option. This question provides an “Additional Comments” option. You can also display answer choices horizontally or vertically. (more info) |  |
| Points Question – Multiple Answer Checkboxes Create a question where respondents can select single or multiple answers from a list of options. You can assign points/weights to each answer option. Answer choices can be displayed horizontally or vertically. (more info) |  |
Matrix Questions
| Question Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Rating Scale – One Answer per Row (Option Buttons) Create a matrix question where respondents can rate each item on a rating scale. They can choose from a set of predefined choices or a customized set of options. |  |
| Rating Scale – Multiple Options per Row (Checkboxes) Create a matrix question where respondents can rate each item on various attributes. |  |
| Matrix – Multiple Text Boxes per Row Create a matrix question where respondents can enter short text answers to rate different items. |  |
| Conjoint Analysis Question Create a question where respondents can rate products or services on different attributes, e.g. when buying a TV, several attributes will contribute to overall satisfaction. A conjoint analysis question can be used to evaluate a product on each attribute and determine the rating based on a combination of the attributes. |  |
Open-Ended Questions
| Question Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Open Ended – Comments Box Create a question where respondents can provide long open-ended responses. |  |
| Open Ended – One Comment Line Create a question where respondents can provide short open-ended responses. |  |
| Open Ended – One or More Comment Lines Create a question where respondents can provide multiple, short open-ended responses. |  |
| Open Ended – One or More Lines with Different Types of Data Create a question where respondents can provide open-ended responses that require certain validations. |  |
| Open Ended – Numeric Create a question where respondents can provide numeric responses. You can set the minimum and maximum values that respondents can enter. |  |
Other
| Question Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Sum of All Values Equals a Particular Number Create a question that provides a list of items, and ask respondents to enter a numeric value for each such that their sum equals a particular number (e.g. 100). |  |
| Contact Information – Name, Address, Email, Phone, etc. Create a question to capture contact information of respondents such as their first name, last name, address, email, phone number, etc. |  |
| Ranking of Items Create a question where respondents can rank a list of items in order of preference using numbers from one to the number of items in the list. |  |
| Message Display Display messages to respondents like instructions, greetings, etc. (more info) |  |
| Image Display Add an image to your survey and let respondents answer questions or provide feedback. (more info) |  |
| Video Question Insert a video into your survey from YouTube or Vimeo and let respondents answer questions or provide feedback. (more info) |  |
| Audio Question Insert an audio clip into your survey and let respondents answer questions or provide feedback. (more info) |  |
| File Upload Allow or require your users to upload a file in response to a prompt. This question type is available to Advanced, Professional and Enterprise users only, with restrictions on file type, file size, and total account storage capacity. For more info, visit our Compare all Plans page. |  |
| Event Registration Question Embed an event into your survey and ask invitees to RSVP to your event. You can customize the RSVP question and answer choices, and with the SurveyMethods Event Management module you can set up waitlists, manage guests, send reminders, and more. (more info) |  |