15 Types of Questionnaires & When to Use Them

Introduction

Arjun is a final year student completing his thesis on study habits. He creates 10 open questions and sends them to 200 of his classmates. However, most people are put off by long text fields. The answers he does get back are varied.

His friends project was similar but included only yes/no questions. This gave her nice clean data but she didn’t know why the students were answering the way they were.

The issue with both projects is that they decided on the type of questionnaire they were going to use before considering what information they actually wanted to gather.

Choosing the Right Type of questionnaire will help to get the right responses and data. Choosing structured questions can help to gather data on trends whilst open ended questions can give you more insight into opinions.

We’ll explain what a questionnaire is, the difference between structured and unstructured questions, 15 different types of questionnaire with examples and how you can choose and create the Right Type for your research.

What Is a Questionnaire?

A questionnaire is a series of questions that can be completed either on paper, online or with the aid of an interviewer. They’re often used by researchers, companies, HR teams, teachers and students to gain insight into peoples opinions, behaviour, experiences, preferences and needs.

A questionnaire is not quite the same as a survey. A questionnaire is a set of questions that people will answer. Whereas a survey is the whole research process including identifying who to poll, gathering responses and analysing the results.

For example, a university may create a questionnaire to poll students on their study habits. Whilst the survey will also include choosing the participants, sharing the questions, analysing the responses and drawing conclusions.

Depending on the type of questionnaire you can gather different data. So it’s useful to know what the different styles are.

Structured or Unstructured Questionnaire

When creating a questionnaire you will need to decide how much freedom you want the respondents to have.

A Structured Questionnaire includes set questions with set answers. This makes it easy to compare responses.

An unstructured questionnaire includes mostly open questions. This means people can give more detailed answers explaining their thoughts.

Sometimes you can use a semi-Structured Questionnaire.

Use a Structured Questionnaire if you know what you want to measure and need to compare responses from a large group of people. Use an unstructured questionnaire if you want to explore a topic and get people to explain their experiences.

A semi-Structured Questionnaire can be useful if you want to gather quantitative data but also understand why.

15 Types of Questionnaire & Examples

You can divide questionnaires into different types depending on how structured they are, what type of questions they include or how they’re delivered. Sometimes they can have more than one category. For example an online questionnaire can include multiple choice, rating questions and open questions.

1. Structured Questionnaire

A Structured Questionnaire includes the same questions in the same order with pre-set answers. This makes it easy to organise responses and compare between participants.

Best for: Large research, statistical analysis and longitudinal studies.

Example

What best describes your role?

• Student

• Teacher

• Parent

• Other

2. Semi-Structured Questionnaire

A semi-Structured Questionnaire includes a mixture of set and open questions. This means you can gather quantitative data but also get people to explain their answers.

Best for: Academic research, employee feedback and studies needing quantitative and personal answers.

Example

How would you rate your experience with our service? 1-5

What Is your main reason for this rating?

3. Unstructured Questionnaire

An unstructured questionnaire will include general open questions. This means people can give detailed answers about their experiences. This can help uncover themes you weren’t expecting.

Best for: Exploring research, interviews and initial studies.

Example

Can you tell us about your experience of remote learning?

4. Open Questionnaire

An open questionnaire allows people to give their answers in their own words. This can help to gather detailed opinions, explanations and suggestions.

However this can take longer to analyse as responses will be in written format.

Best for: Understanding customer opinions, personal experiences and suggestions.

Example

What could we do to make this course more useful for you?

5. Closed Questionnaire

A closed questionnaire will give people a set of answers to choose from. This can include yes/no, multiple choice or rating answers.

This is usually quicker to complete and analyse, especially if you’re gathering a large amount of responses.

Best for: Quick feedback, large surveys and consistent answers.

Example

Did you attend the workshop?

• Yes

• No

6. Dichotomous Questionnaire

A dichotomous questionnaire will only have two answers such as yes/no, true/false or agree/disagree.

This can be useful if you want a simple answer but may oversimplify questions that need more explanation.

Best for: Screening questions, checking suitability and simple factual data.

Example

Are you currently employed?

• Yes

• No

7. Multiple Choice Questionnaire

A multiple Choice Questionnaire includes a variety of answers to choose from. Depending on the question they may only be able to choose one answer or multiple answers.

Answers should cover the most likely answers. You can also include an ‘Other’ option to stop people having to choose an answer that doesn’t fit.

Best for: Researching preferences, habits, demographics and customer choices.

Example

How do you usually travel to work?

• Car

• Bus

• Train

• Bicycle

• Walking

• Other

8. Rating Scale Questionnaire

A rating scale questionnaire asks people to rate something using numbers or descriptive answers. Common rating scales are from 1-5 and 1-10.

Researchers will often use ratings to gain insight into how satisfied, quality, importance or difficulty something is. Ensure each rating is clearly defined so people will understand what they mean.

Best for: Customer satisfaction, product feedback, service feedback and measuring experiences.

Example

How easy was it to use our website? 1-10

9. Likert Scale Questionnaire

A Likert scale questionnaire helps to find out attitudes and opinions by asking people how much they agree or disagree with a statement.

A common Likert scale will have 5 options from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Researchers often use a number of statements to understand people’s attitudes towards something.

Best for: Employee engagement, academic research, customer attitudes and opinion studies.

Example

I feel supported by my manager.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Neither agree nor disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

10. Ranking Questionnaire

A ranking questionnaire asks people to rank a list of options.

Unlike a rating scale this shows how people would rank different options.

Best for: Ranking features, benefits, services or personal preferences.

Example

Please rank the following employee benefits from most important to least important.

• Salary

• Flexible working hours

• Training

• Paid holidays

11. Matrix Questionnaire

A matrix questionnaire includes a number of related questions within a table. Usually each row will have the same scale of answers. This can help keep your questionnaire concise if you need people to rate a number of similar items.

Long or complex matrices can be tricky to use, especially on mobile devices. Keep the number of rows to a minimum and ensure the answer scale is easy to understand.

Best for: Rating a number of related products, services or factors within a workplace.

Example

Please rate the following areas of your workplace from 1-5.

• Communication

• Teamwork

• Workload

• Recognition

12. Demographic Questionnaire

A demographic questionnaire gathers background information such as age range, location, education, job or role.

This can help researchers to describe their sample and compare responses. Only include relevant demographic data. Include an option for ‘Prefer not to say’.

Best for: Academic research, segmenting your audience and comparing different population groups.

Example

What age range do you fall into?

• 18-24

• 25-34

• 35-44

• 45+

13. Online Questionnaire

An online questionnaire can be sent out via a link, email or website. People will complete this on a computer, tablet or mobile. Answers will be gathered digitally.

This can be a good option if you want to gather responses from different locations. It can also be quicker to gather responses as they won’t need to be manually entered. It can also include a variety of question types such as multiple choice, rating and open text.

Best for: Large audience, remote research, customer feedback and quick response gathering.

Example

Feedback questionnaire sent out after an online event.

14. Paper Questionnaire

A paper questionnaire will be printed and completed by hand. This can be useful if people don’t have much internet access.

However you may need someone to enter the data into a spreadsheet or research tool.

Best for: Research in the classroom, fieldwork, community projects and events with little digital access.

Example

Printed feedback card given out at the end of a workshop.

15. Interviewer Questionnaire

An interviewer questionnaire will be completed with the help of a trained person. This can be done face-to-face or over the phone.

This can help to clarify any questions but will take longer and more resources. The interviewer must also not influence the answers.

Best for: Complex research topics, people who need help and clarification.

Example

Phone interview where the researcher asks a set of questions and records answers.

Examples of Questionnaires

The Right Type of questionnaire will depend on who you’re asking and what you’re trying to find out. Below are a few examples of questionnaires for common scenarios.

Academic Researchers

Academic researchers often use structured questionnaires with Likert scales to gather data on attitudes, behaviours or experiences. They may also include a few open questions.

Example

I feel confident using online learning tools. Strongly disagree to Strongly agree

How many hours do you study on a typical weekday?

What Is the biggest challenge you face whilst studying?

HR Teams

HR teams will often use questionnaires to understand employee engagement, onboarding experiences, company culture and satisfaction.

Using a mixture of rating scales and open questions can help to find patterns in the data whilst allowing employees to explain their concerns.

Example

I understand how my work contributes to company goals. Strongly disagree to Strongly agree

How would you rate your onboarding experience? 1-5

What Is one thing we could do to improve your everyday work?

Students

Students undertaking research projects will usually benefit from a short questionnaire with clear answers. Multiple choice and rating questions are often easier to send out and analyse, especially if you’re asking classmates.

Example

How often do you use the library? Daily Weekly Monthly Rarely

How satisfied are you with the Wi-Fi on campus? 1-5

What university facilities would you like to see improved first?

If you’re struggling for ideas on what type of questions to use take a look at these online form templates. Change the questions to suit what you’re researching.

You can also explore feedback and survey templates for examples of different questionnaire layouts.

How to Choose the Right Type of Questionnaire

There isn’t one type of questionnaire that will be suitable for all studies. Consider the following.

1. Firstly decide what you want to find out from your research. If you want to find out how satisfied people are use a rating scale. If you want to know why people feel a certain way include open questions.

2. Consider how many people you’re asking. Structured and closed questionnaires are often easier to analyse if you’re asking a large group of people. If you’re doing a smaller exploratory study you may want to include more detailed written answers.

3. Consider your audience. Think about their age, language, knowledge of the topic and technology. A short online questionnaire may be better for busy employees. Some may prefer to complete a paper version or with the help of an interviewer.

4. Consider how you’ll analyse the data. If you need charts and statistical analysis use consistent answers and scales. If you’re looking at personal experiences plan how you’ll organise and interpret written answers.

5. Time and budget. Interviews can be useful for detailed data but will take more organisation. Online and paper questionnaires may be easier to send out. However paper responses may need manual data entry.

6. Mix it up. Many effective research questionnaires will use a mixture of closed questions to gather quantitative data and one or two open questions.

Tips for Creating a Good Questionnaire

Whilst choosing the Right Type of questionnaire is important, the way you word your questions can also impact the quality of responses.

• Ask one question at a time. Don’t ask double-barrelled questions such as "How was the pay and the work environment?" Split this into two questions.

• Use simple language. Avoid using technical terms, unnecessary jargon and complex sentences which people may not understand.

• Keep questions neutral. Questions such as ‘How great was our service?’ will encourage positive answers. Instead ask ‘How would you rate our service?’

• Order your questions logically. Start with simple questions and group questions together. Ask sensitive questions at the end.

• Keep scales consistent. If you’re using a 5 point scale keep the same direction and wording.

• Where possible include an ‘Other’ option.

• Ensure all questions are relevant to your research.

• Ask 5-10 people to complete your questionnaire. Check the questions are clear, instructions are easy to follow and answers are clear.

A good questionnaire should be easy to understand and complete. If people are confused by questions they may not give you quality data.

How to Create a Questionnaire

Once you’ve decided what type of questionnaire you want to use follow the simple steps below.

1. What Is your research question? Write down what you want to find out in one sentence.

2. Who are you asking? Decide who you want to ask and how you’ll reach them.

3. What type of questionnaire? Decide whether you want to use a structured, unstructured, semi-structured or mixed questionnaire.

4. Create your questions. Use clear language and remove any questions that aren’t relevant to your research.

5. Introduction. Add an introduction explaining why you’re asking the questions, how long it will take to complete and what you’ll do with the data.

6. Pilot your questionnaire. Send it to a small group and ask them to identify any unclear questions or answers.

7. Send your questionnaire. Choose an appropriate method such as email, website, paper or face-to-face.

8. Analyse responses. Check for any missing answers, inconsistent answers or incomplete responses.

9. Analyse and share. Organise your data, find any patterns and relate this back to your research question.

If you’re creating a digital questionnaire consider using one with a variety of question types, sharing options and managing responses. Using an online form builder can help organise your questions and gather responses.

You can also review Ovoform's integrations if you want to connect your questionnaire workflow with other tools.

Benefits of Choosing the Right Questionnaire

Choosing a suitable questionnaire can make your whole data gathering process more effective.

• Clean data – Questions and answers will be relevant to the data you want.

• Higher completion rates – Short and clear questions will be easier to complete.

• Easier to compare – Consistent questions and scales will make it easier to compare between groups.

• Useful insights – By mixing closed and open questions you can gain more useful insights.

• Less rework – By planning out what type of questionnaire you want you’re less likely to gather data that won’t answer your research question.

• Efficient analysis – organised responses will be easier to categorise.

Whilst choosing the right format won’t guarantee accurate results clear questions, the right people and careful analysis are essential.

For questionnaires that collect customer feedback, you can also look at this customer feedback survey template as an example of how questions can be organized.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even if you’ve planned your research well a poor questionnaire can lead to poor results. Avoid the following mistakes.

Decide on the type of questionnaire without knowing what you want to find out.

Decide what you want to find out first then choose the Right Type of questionnaire.

Too many open-ended questions

Long, open-ended answers can be lengthy and therefore time-consuming to complete and analyse. Only use them if you really need detailed answers.

Leading/Double-barreled questions

Biased wording can affect the responses. If you ask two separate questions in one it can cause confusion.

Too long

If your questionnaire is too long it can cause people to lose interest and give up completing the questions.

No pilot testing

Small issues can often arise with the wording and formatting of your questions.

Not considering the users experience

Poor mobile design, unclear instructions and complicated answer choices can put people off completing your questionnaire.

Asking for unnecessary information

Try not to ask for any personal or sensitive information that isn’t necessary. Only ask for information that will help your research.

If you’re creating a digital questionnaire, make sure that the tool you’re using allows for the types of questions you need and makes managing your responses easy. Ovoform allows you to create online questionnaires with various question types. If you want, you can look at their integrations.

Final Thoughts

There is no best questionnaire, it depends on what you want to find out, who you’re asking and how you’ll be using the answers.

Structured questionnaires are great to get consistent answers and quantifiable data. Unstructured questionnaires allow you to get more detailed answers about peoples opinions and experiences. Semi-structured questionnaires are a good middle ground. There are many different types of questionnaires such as multiple choice, Likert scales, rating scales and online questionnaires.

Have a clear aim for your research and ensure you’re using the right format. Keep questions short, unbiased and easy to understand. Pilot your questionnaire with a small group of people.

Most importantly remember that a questionnaire is a great way to gain knowledge from people. If designed well you’ll get answers that can provide you with useful information to help you make better decisions.