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    3 Examples of Bad Survey Questions & How To Fix Them

    person taking a survey at a desk
    • 26 Jan 2021
    HBS Online Author Staff
    tag
    • Analytics
    • Business Analytics
    • CORe

    Surveys are a data collection tool that can help your company identify opportunities, assess challenges, and set direction. Surveying your customers, internal team members, and other key stakeholders can reveal powerful insights that enable you to make data-driven decisions and propel your business forward.

    The quality of the data captured, however, can only be as good as the questions themselves. If you're looking to design a survey for your organization, you should be aware of the common pitfalls that novice survey creators encounter.

    Here are three survey question development mistakes made by startups and well-established companies alike.


    Free E-Book: A Beginner's Guide to Data & Analytics

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    Examples of Bad Survey Questions to Avoid

    1. The Biased or Leading Question

    “Our product reduces your tension by 10 percent. Would you like to buy it?”

    A biased survey question, like the one above, prompts or leads a respondent to answer in favor or against a specific outcome, resulting in inaccurate data. The example mentions a reduction in tension that might influence the respondent to indicate they would make a purchase. A better question would be, "How likely are you to buy this product?" Examples don’t need to be as extreme as the one highlighted to be considered biased.

    Tips to avoid bias:

    • Use neutral language. Don’t favor one option—explicitly or implicitly—and don’t lead a respondent to an answer.
    • Vary the order of options in a list. This should be done across questions with similar answers to ensure a respondent won’t make a decision based on chronological sequencing.

    2. The Ambiguous Question

    “How do you feel about your purchase?”

    This question uses ambiguous and imprecise language. Quantifying or assessing subjective attitudes is difficult, and the burden shouldn’t fall on the respondent. A better approach is to provide options: "How satisfied are you with your purchase? Extremely satisfied, somewhat satisfied, neutral, somewhat unsatisfied, or extremely unsatisfied?"

    Tips to avoid ambiguity:

    • Think critically and develop precise questions. Add options for respondents to choose from. These can be “yes” or “no” options, multiple choice answers, or a Likert scale that prompts the respondent to select a number that indicates their level of agreement with a statement, satisfaction with your product, or another measure of their feelings.
    • Additionally, consider conjoint analysis, which is conducted via a specialized survey to reveal how much a customer values a certain set of attributes in a product or service. Its tailored design ensures each question is direct and specific.

    3. The Complex Question

    “If you had to get to work using a bicycle, bus, train, car, or on foot, which would you choose? Consider annual precipitation, your transportation budget, and carpooling opportunities.”

    The question above assesses propensity for transportation methods, perhaps to help a city decide whether to allocate funding to bike-share programs, commuter rail services, or bus routes. However, this question is overly complex, making it difficult for the respondent to answer.

    When a researcher overcomplicates a question, it can become what’s known as a double-barreled question, or one that asks about more than one subject but requires a single answer. Such questions can confuse the reader and greatly diminish the quality of the data collected.

    Tips to avoid complexity:

    • Trim the fat. Cutting unnecessary qualifiers could ease the intellectual burden. Understand, however, that you risk perpetuating the ambiguity discussed previously by making assessments more open-ended.
    • Split a complex question into multiple questions that each have one focus. By doing so, you can ensure you get your questions answered without overwhelming respondents or sacrificing data quality.
    • Employ a pairwise ranking system, which prompts respondents to rank options in order of preference or compare each option to the others to determine a hierarchy of preference.

    In addition, qualitative interviews and focus groups are alternative methods of receiving detailed answers if time and effort allow.

    A Beginner's Guide to Data and Analytics | Access Your Free E-Book | Download Now

    Collecting Reliable Insights

    When thoughtfully executed, surveys can be an effective means of collecting data and unlock powerful business insights.

    To ensure your data is reliable, design clear, concise survey questions. When your company conducts surveys, look for red flags that could lead to inaccurate conclusions.

    These three tips are only the beginning of becoming a proficient survey designer. Knowing the best way to design assessments—and being aware of when other tools may be more appropriate—can lead to more informative company research.

    Are you interested in unlocking the full potential of your organization’s data? Explore our online analytics courses to get started.

     
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    We offer self-paced programs (with weekly deadlines) on the HBS Online course platform.

    Our platform features short, highly produced videos of HBS faculty and guest business experts, interactive graphs and exercises, cold calls to keep you engaged, and opportunities to contribute to a vibrant online community.

    Are HBS Online programs available in languages other than English?

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    We expect to offer our courses in additional languages in the future but, at this time, HBS Online can only be provided in English.

    All course content is delivered in written English. Closed captioning in English is available for all videos. There are no live interactions during the course that requires the learner to speak English. Coursework must be completed in English.

    Do I need to come to campus to participate in HBS Online programs?

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    How do I enroll in a course?

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    Certificate Programs

    HBS Online welcomes committed learners wherever they are—in the world and their careers—irrespective of their professional experience or academic background. To extend the reach of HBS Online, we no longer require an application for our certificate programs. (Applications are still required for our credential programs: CORe and CLIMB.) You can now immediately enroll and start taking the next step in your career.

    All programs require the completion of a brief online enrollment form before payment. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before enrolling in the program of your choice.

    Our easy online enrollment form is free, and no special documentation is required. All participants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

    Updates to your enrollment status will be shown on your account page. HBS Online does not use race, gender, ethnicity, or any protected class as criteria for enrollment for any HBS Online program.

    Credential Programs

    HBS Online's CORe and CLIMB programs require the completion of a brief application. The applications vary slightly, but all ask for some personal background information. You can apply for and enroll in programs here. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before starting an application for the program of your choice.

    Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All participants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

    Updates to your application and enrollment status will be shown on your account page. We confirm enrollment eligibility within one week of your application for CORe and three weeks for CLIMB. HBS Online does not use race, gender, ethnicity, or any protected class as criteria for admissions for any HBS Online program.

    Does Harvard Business School Online offer an online MBA?

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    No, Harvard Business School Online offers business certificate programs.

    What are my payment options?

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    HBS Online offers a variety of payment methods to provide flexibility, including:

    • Credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and AMEX)
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    You may split your payment across two credit card transactions or send a payment link to another individual to complete payment on your behalf. A minimum payment of $350 is required for the first transaction.

    Some learners may also qualify for scholarships or financial aid, which will be credited against the program fee once eligibility is determined. Please refer to the Payment & Financial Aid page for more information.

    What are the policies for refunds and deferrals?

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    After enrolling in a program, you may request a withdrawal with refund (minus a $100 nonrefundable enrollment fee) up until 24 hours after the start of your program. Please review the Program Policies page for more details on refunds and deferrals. If your employer has contracted with HBS Online for participation in a program, or if you elect to enroll in the undergraduate credit option of the Credential of Readiness (CORe) program, note that policies for these options may differ.

     

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