The Question of Question Order

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urveys are an essential tool for getting a pulse on consumer opinion. Posing the right questions can help a company respond to the ever-changing wants and needs of its consumers. While asking the right questions is vital, the structure of a survey can be equally important. It is therefore essential that, before publishing a survey, marketers address the question of question order.

• Make sure people understand the question by encouraging them to read the query and all the possible answers in full
• Arrange the possible responses so that the most likely response is at the top and the least likely answer is at the bottom, as people tend to quit reading after finding an answer that somewhat fits their opinion
• Limit the number of possible answers to prevent “survey fatigue” that could cause respondents to miss the correct reply, which could result in inaccurate survey data
• Avoid offering “middle of the road” responses; instead, force respondents to choose answers that are vastly different from one another
• Limit your scale to four points when asking respondents to rate something on a scale
• When all else fails, allow for open responses and utilize text analytic software to interpret the results
• Plan your survey efforts by calculating the exact value of a piece of information then determining whether learning that information is worth the cost
• Put survey questions in a logical order to return logical results; poorly organized surveys return hodgepodge results

Gathering accurate and informative data begins with addressing the question of question order. Begin with those questions you are most curious about and with the greatest return on investment. Keep your possible answer lists short, diverse, and in logical order. Plan your survey well and organize it in a logical manner to gain maximum ROI with minimum effort.