Common Mistakes in Surveys That Ruin Your Data (And How to Fix Them)
Surveys are a powerful tool for gathering insights. However, poorly designed surveys can lead to unreliable data, misleading conclusions, and bad business decisions. Many common mistakes in survey design can easily be avoided with some careful planning.
In this article, we will explore the most frequent mistakes people make when designing surveys and how to fix them.
Table of Contents
- 1. Asking Leading or Biased Questions
- 2. Not Providing a Complete Set of Answer Options
- 3. Using Too Many Open-Ended Questions
- Conclusion
1. Asking Leading or Biased Questions
The mistake: Leading questions push respondents toward a particular answer, often influencing their response.
Example:
- "How amazing was your experience with our product?" (Assumes the experience was amazing.)
- "Don’t you think our service is great?" (Suggests a positive response.)
How to fix it: Use neutral wording.
Better example:
- "How would you describe your experience with our product?"
- ""How satisfied are you with our service?"
Learn more about question bias: Kahneman & Tversky’s
2. Not Providing a Complete Set of Answer Options
The mistake: Offering limited or unclear response choices can make it hard for respondents to give an accurate answer.
Example:
- "How often do you watch Netflix?"
- Never
- Sometimes
- Often
These options are vague and subjective. What does "often" mean? Twice a week? Five times a week?
How to fix it: Provide clear, mutually exclusive answer choices.
Better example:
- "How often do you watch Netflix?"
- 0 times
- 1-2 times
- 3-4 times
- 5 or more times
Likert Scale Examples for Surveys: Sorrel Brown
3. Using Too Many Open-Ended Questions
The mistake: Open-ended questions require respondents to type out answers, which can lead to survey fatigue and lower completion rates.
Example:
- "What do you think about our customer service?"
- "How can we improve our website?"
While open-ended questions can provide valuable insights, too many of them can frustrate respondents.
How to fix it: Use open-ended questions sparingly and mix them with multiple-choice or scaled questions.
Better example:
- "How satisfied are you with our customer service?" (Followed by a text box for optional comments.)
- "Which feature would improve our website the most?"
4. Overloading the Survey with Too Many Questions
The mistake: Open-ended questions require respondents to type out answers, which can lead to survey fatigue and lower completion rates.
Example: Surveys with 30+ questions that take more than 15 minutes to complete.
How to fix it: Keep your survey short and focused. Only ask questions that directly contribute to your goals.
Better approach:
- Prioritize essential questions.
- Use logic to skip irrelevant questions.
- Keep the survey under 10 minutes.
Likert Scale Examples for Surveys: Saudi J Anaesth
5. Ignoring Survey Logic and Flow
The mistake: Poor survey flow confuses respondents and results in inconsistent answers.
Example: Asking for feedback on a product feature before asking if they have used it.
How to fix it: Use skip logic and logical ordering.
Better approach:
- Ask "Have you used Feature X?" first.
- If "Yes," then ask about their experience.
- If "No," skip to the next relevant question.
6. Not Pre-Testing the Survey
The mistake: Launching a survey without testing it can lead to technical errors, confusing questions, and poor response rates.
How to fix it: Run a pilot test with a small group before launching.
Steps to pre-test your survey:
- Have at least 5 people take the survey.
- Look for unclear questions or confusing wording.
- Check for technical issues on different devices.
- Analyze the responses to see if they make sense.
More on pre-testing computerised questionnaires: G Snijkers
Conclusion
Designing a great survey requires careful planning and attention to detail. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can collect more accurate, reliable data that leads to better decision-making.
Psychology plays a key role in shaping responses, and small changes in wording can lead to better data.
Key takeways:
- ✅ Avoid leading and biased questions.
- ✅ Keep questions simple and direct.
- ✅ Provide clear and balanced response options.
- ✅ Limit the number of open-ended questions.
- ✅ Keep surveys short and focused.
- ✅ Use logic to improve survey flow.
- ✅ Always pre-test before launching.
By applying these best practices, you will get higher response rates and better-quality insights from your surveys.
Further reading:
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