Good survey questions: 45 examples, and the bad ones to rewrite
Survey question examples
✓ questions that produce answers you can act on
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TL;DR
A good survey question asks one thing, in words the respondent uses, about something they have actually done, with answer options that cover every realistic case. A bad one leads, assumes, combines two questions, or asks people to predict their own future behavior.
Below are 45 example questions grouped by what you are trying to learn, then eight common bad questions with a rewrite for each. Copy the ones that fit, and change the wording to match how your customers talk.
What makes a survey question good
- It maps to a decision. Before you write it, you know what you would do differently depending on the answer.
- It asks one thing. No “and” joining two ideas in the same question.
- It is neutral. The wording does not hint at the answer you hope for.
- It asks about past behavior, not predictions. “How often did you…” beats “How often would you…”.
- It uses the respondent's words, not your internal names for features or teams.
- Its answers are complete and do not overlap, with an “Other” or “Not applicable” option where needed.
The format matters as much as the wording. If you are deciding between a rating scale, a Likert item or an open question, start with our guide to types of survey questions.
Survey question examples by goal
Customer satisfaction questions
- Overall, how satisfied are you with [product]? (Very dissatisfied to very satisfied)
- How likely are you to recommend [product] to a friend or colleague? (0 to 10)
- What is the main reason for the score you just gave?
- How well does [product] meet your needs? (Not at all well to extremely well)
- How easy was it to get your issue resolved today? (Very difficult to very easy)
- Compared with the alternatives you have tried, is [product] better, about the same, or worse?
- What is one thing we could change that would make the biggest difference to you?
For a ready-made set, see the NPS survey template and the customer service feedback survey.
Product feedback questions
- Which of these features have you used in the last 30 days? Select all that apply.
- How often do you use [feature]? (Daily, weekly, monthly, less than monthly, never)
- What were you trying to get done the last time you used [feature]?
- How would you feel if you could no longer use [product]? (Very disappointed, somewhat disappointed, not disappointed)
- What, if anything, nearly stopped you from signing up?
- What do you use instead of [product] for [task], if anything?
- Which of these problems have you run into in the last month? Select all that apply.
- If you could add or change one thing in [product], what would it be?
The software feedback and feature desirability templates turn these into a study you can send today: software feedback survey, feature desirability survey.
UX and usability questions
- Overall, how difficult or easy was the task to complete? (Very difficult to very easy)
- Were you able to complete what you came here to do today? (Yes, partly, no)
- What, if anything, was confusing about this page?
- Where did you expect to find [item]?
- How would you describe [product] to a colleague in one sentence?
- What almost made you give up?
These are a starting point. Our full list of UX survey questions covers the standard questionnaires (SUS, SEQ, UMUX-Lite) and when to use each.
Concept and market research questions
- How clearly does this description explain what the product does? (Not at all clearly to very clearly)
- In your own words, what do you think this product does?
- How useful would this be in the work you do? (Not at all useful to extremely useful)
- What, if anything, would stop you from trying this?
- Which of these options would you choose, if any?
- How are you solving this problem today?
- How much time did you spend on [problem] last week?
For concept work, pair these with a concept testing study so you hear the reasoning as well as the scores.
Onboarding and churn questions
- What made you decide to try [product]?
- What did you hope to get done in your first week?
- How easy was it to get started? (Very difficult to very easy)
- What is the main reason you are cancelling?
- What will you use instead, if anything?
- What, if anything, could we have done to keep you?
- How likely are you to come back in the future? (Not at all likely to extremely likely)
The churn survey template has these set up with skip logic for each cancellation reason.
Questions about the respondent
- Which best describes your role?
- How many people work at your company? (1 to 10, 11 to 50, 51 to 200, 201 to 1,000, more than 1,000)
- Which industry best describes your company?
- How long have you been using [product]?
- How many people on your team use [product]?
- Who else is involved in deciding which tools your team buys?
- Would you be open to a 30-minute follow-up conversation about your answers?
Put these at the end unless you need them to screen people out. The last question is the most valuable one in many surveys, because it turns an anonymous answer into an interview you can schedule.
Open questions that work in almost any survey
- What is the main reason for your answer?
- Is there anything else you would like us to know?
- What would make our research more useful to you? (for surveys of your own stakeholders)
Add the first after the score that matters most. The second works best as the final question, where it catches what the rest of the survey missed. The third is for research teams surveying the people who use their findings.
8 bad survey questions, and how to fix them
Each of these looks reasonable at a glance and produces data you cannot trust. The fix is usually a small rewrite, not a new question.
Problem | Bad question | Better question |
|---|---|---|
| Leading | Bad question“How much did you enjoy our new dashboard?” | Better question“How would you rate the new dashboard?” (Very poor to very good) |
| Double-barreled | Bad question“How satisfied are you with our pricing and support?” | Better questionTwo questions: one about pricing, one about support |
| Loaded assumption | Bad question“What do you like most about our mobile app?” | Better question“Have you used our mobile app?” then, if yes, “What, if anything, do you like about it?” |
| Hypothetical | Bad question“Would you use this feature if we built it?” | Better question“How did you handle [task] the last time it came up?” |
| Absolute | Bad question“Do you always check your dashboard before meetings?” | Better question“How often do you check your dashboard before meetings?” |
| Jargon | Bad question“How useful is our synthesis layer for your insight ops?” | Better question“How useful is [product] for making sense of your interview notes?” |
| Vague timeframe | Bad question“Do you run usability tests regularly?” | Better question“How many usability tests did you run in the last 3 months?” |
| Overlapping options | Bad question“Team size: 1 to 5, 5 to 10, 10 to 20” | Better question“Team size: 1 to 4, 5 to 9, 10 to 20, more than 20” |
Why the hypothetical one matters most
Of the eight, asking people to predict their own behavior does the most damage, because the answers look like evidence. People say yes to features they will never use, and say they would pay prices they would not. Ask about what they did last time, and use the answer to judge what they are likely to do next.
A checklist before you send
- 01Every question maps to a decision or a report you will produce.
- 02No question asks two things at once.
- 03Answer options cover every realistic case and do not overlap.
- 04Scales run in the same direction throughout, with labeled endpoints.
- 05Open questions are limited to two or three, placed where the reason matters.
- 06Personal and demographic questions sit at the end unless you need them for screening.
- 07Someone outside the project has taken the survey and told you where they hesitated.
Run your survey in Great Question
Great Question's surveys go to the people already in your participant panel, so you can target by the attributes you hold, use skip logic to route answers, and see a chart for every question as responses come in. When an answer needs more depth, invite that person to an interview from the same platform instead of exporting a list and starting again.
For the next step after the responses arrive, see how to analyze survey data.
Frequently asked questions
What are 5 good survey questions?
Five that work in most customer surveys: “Overall, how satisfied are you with [product]?”, “How likely are you to recommend [product] to a colleague?”, “What is the main reason for your score?”, “What is one thing we could change that would make the biggest difference to you?” and “Would you be open to a short follow-up conversation?”
What is an example of a bad survey question?
“How satisfied are you with our pricing and support?” is a common one. It asks two things at once, so an answer of “satisfied” tells you nothing about which part they meant. Split it into two questions.
What makes a survey question biased?
A question is biased when its wording, order or answer options push people toward one answer. Leading words (“enjoy”, “love”), assumptions that may not be true, and scales with more positive than negative options are the usual causes.
Should survey questions be open or closed?
Mostly closed, with one or two open questions where the reason changes what you do. Closed questions are faster to answer and analyze. Open questions explain the numbers, but each one adds effort for the respondent.
