Gathering insights through polls and surveys can be invaluable for organizations and individuals looking to make data-driven decisions. However, coming up with effective poll questions takes some thought and strategy. In the opening section of this article, we’ll provide some quick tips for writing good poll questions before diving deeper into examples of polls you may want to consider asking.
Quick Tips for Writing Poll Questions
Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when writing poll or survey questions:
- Keep questions clear and concise – Avoid overly complex or confusing language
- Make questions specific – Don’t leave too much room for interpretation
- Avoid loaded or biased questions – Don’t lead respondents to a particular answer
- Consider your audience – Tailor questions and language appropriately
- Mix up question types – Use a variety of multiple choice, open-ended, ranking, etc.
- Order questions thoughtfully – Put easier questions first to build confidence
With those tips in mind, let’s explore some potential poll topic areas and sample questions.
Customer and Audience Research Polls
Understanding your customers and audience is key for organizations and brands. Here are some customer and audience research polls you may want to conduct:
Brand Awareness and Perception
- Are you familiar with our brand? (Yes/No)
- What words come to mind when you think of our brand?
- How did you first become aware of our brand?
- On a 1-10 scale, how likely are you to recommend our brand to friends and family?
Customer Satisfaction
- On a scale of 1-5, how satisfied are you with XYZ product/service? (5 being extremely satisfied)
- How well does our product/service meet your needs? (Extremely well, very well, moderately well, slightly well, not well at all)
- How satisfied are you with the customer service you receive from our company? (Extremely satisfied, very satisfied, moderately satisfied, slightly satisfied, not satisfied at all)
Buying Motivations and Behaviors
- What factors most influence your decision to purchase XYZ product? (Price, quality, brand reputation, etc.)
- How often do you purchase XYZ product? (Daily, weekly, monthly, a few times a year, once a year, less than once a year)
- Where do you typically purchase XYZ product? (Online company website, online retailer, brick-and-mortar store, other)
Product/Service Feedback
- What do you like most about XYZ product/service?
- What do you like least about XYZ product/service?
- How can we improve XYZ product/service?
- Would you recommend adding any new features to XYZ product/service?
Employee Engagement and Satisfaction
Understanding employee perceptions, motivations and satisfaction levels through surveys and polls can help organizations improve culture, retention and performance. Here are some examples:
Employee Engagement
- On a scale of 1-10, how engaged do you feel at work? (10 being extremely engaged)
- How passionate are you about your job? (Extremely, very, moderately, slightly, not at all)
- How meaningful do you feel your work is? (Extremely meaningful, very meaningful, moderately meaningful, slightly meaningful, not meaningful at all)
Job Satisfaction
- On a scale of 1-5, how satisfied are you with your current job? (5 being extremely satisfied)
- How satisfied are you with your company’s compensation and benefits package? (Extremely satisfied, very satisfied, moderately satisfied, slightly satisfied, not satisfied at all)
- How satisfied are you with your work-life balance? (Extremely satisfied, very satisfied, moderately satisfied, slightly satisfied, not satisfied at all)
Company Culture
- How would you describe the culture at our company? What do you like/dislike about it?
- On a scale of 1-10, how well do you feel you fit into the culture? (10 being extremely well)
- How could we improve our company culture?
Product and Concept Tests
Testing new product concepts and getting consumer feedback is crucial. Some examples of product and concept test polls include:
Concept Feedback
- How interested would you be in a new XYZ product/service? (Extremely interested, very interested, moderately interested, slightly interested, not interested at all)
- What excites you most about our new XYZ concept? What concerns do you have?
Pricing Tests
- If Product X cost $Y, how likely would you be to purchase it? (Extremely likely, very likely, moderately likely, slightly likely, not likely at all)
- Are you more likely to purchase Product X at Price 1, Price 2, or Price 3?
Product Feature Interest
- On a scale of 1-5, how useful would Feature X be in Product Y? (5 being extremely useful)
- Which new features would you most want to see in the next version of our product?
Product Concept Design
- Which design do you prefer for our new Product X? (Show images)
Advertising and Messaging
Testing advertising concepts, taglines and messaging allows brands to optimize their marketing. Some examples include:
Ad Concepts
- On a scale of 1-5 how effective is this ad concept for Product X? (5 being extremely effective)
- Which of these 3 ad concepts makes you most interested in purchasing Product X?
Slogans and Taglines
- Which of the following slogans do you find most appealing for our brand?
- Does Slogan X make our brand’s message clear and memorable? (Yes/No)
Messaging
- Is our current brand messaging clear on who our target audience is and what our value proposition is? (Yes/No)
- Does our current messaging adequately convey what makes our product/service unique?
Gathering Open-Ended Feedback and Ideas
Open-ended questions allow you to gather more qualitative feedback and ideas from respondents. Some examples include:
General Feedback
- Do you have any additional feedback about your experience with our product or company?
- What could we do to improve your experience as a customer?
New Product/Feature Ideas
- What kinds of new products or features would you be interested in seeing from our brand?
- Do you have any ideas for how we could improve upon Product X?
Understanding Likes/Dislikes
- What do you like most about our brand? What do you like least?
- What factors make you more likely or less likely to recommend our product to friends?
Market Research and Competitive Intelligence
Polls focused on market conditions, trends, and competitors can uncover useful insights. Examples include:
Industry Trends
- What do you see as the most important trends influencing the XYZ industry currently?
- In what new directions would you like to see companies in the XYZ industry going?
Purchasing Influencers
- Beyond price, what factors most influence your purchase decisions for XYZ product category?
- When purchasing XYZ product, what resources, reviews or recommendations do you find most valuable?
Competitive Intelligence
- What other brands do you consider when purchasing XYZ product?
- What key differences do you see between Brand X and Brand Y in the XYZ product category?
- What could Brand X do better to earn more of your business away from Brand Y?
Market Size and Growth
- Approximately how much do you spend on XYZ product category per year?
- Has your spending in the XYZ product category increased or decreased over the past 1-2 years?
Public and Social Issue Polling
Political and social issue surveys are ubiquitous these days. A few examples of these poll types include:
Policy Support
- Do you approve or disapprove of Policy X proposed by Lawmaker Y? (Approve/Disapprove)
- On a scale of 1-5, do you support or oppose expanding Program X? (5 being strongly support, 1 being strongly oppose)
Voting and Elections
- If the election were held today, would you vote for Candidate X or Candidate Y?
- Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Politician X? (Favorable/Unfavorable)
Public Priority Issues
- What issue should be the top priority for leaders to address? (Economy, healthcare, education, etc.)
- On a 1-5 scale, how important is addressing Issue X to you? (5 being extremely important)
Gender, Diversity and Inclusion
- How well do you feel Company X promotes diversity, equity and inclusion? (Extremely well, very well, moderately well, slightly well, not well at all)
- What steps could Organization Y take to improve representation and inclusion of diverse groups?
Customer Experience and Journey Mapping
Understanding the end-to-end customer experience across touchpoints can highlight areas for optimization. Helpful polls include:
Awareness and Discovery
- How did you first become aware of our company/product? (Search engine, social media ad, word of mouth referral, etc.)
- What most influenced you to start considering our product as a purchase option?
Purchase Process
- On a scale of 1-5, how easy was the purchase process for Product X? (5 being extremely easy)
- What could we do to improve or streamline the purchase process for Product X?
Onboarding Experience
- How clear was the onboarding/setup process when you first started using Product X? (Extremely clear, very clear, moderately clear, slightly clear, not clear at all)
- What uncertainties or points of confusion did you experience when first using Product X?
Ongoing and Support Interactions
- On a scale of 1-5, how satisfied are you with the ongoing support for Product X? (5 being extremely satisfied)
- What could we do to improve the customer support experience for Product X?
Loyalty and Advocacy
- How likely are you to purchase/use Product X again in the future? (Extremely likely, very likely, moderately likely, slightly likely, not likely at all)
- How likely are you to recommend our product/company to a friend or colleague? (Extremely likely, very likely, moderately likely, slightly likely, not likely at all)
Ranking and Rating Questions
Ranking and rating type questions allow you to see how respondents comparatively judge items. Examples include:
Rank Ordering
- Please rank the following features in order of importance to you when purchasing a new TV. (Picture quality, brand, price, size, smart connectivity)
Rating Scales
- On a scale of 1-5 please rate the importance of each of these product attributes. (5 being extremely important)
| Attribute | Rating |
|---|---|
| Price | _____ |
| Quality | _____ |
| Brand Reputation | _____ |
| Eco-Friendliness | _____ |
Comparison Ratings
- On a scale of 1-5 please rate each of the following brands on price. (5 being extremely inexpensive)
| Brand | Price Rating |
|---|---|
| Brand A | _____ |
| Brand B | _____ |
| Brand C | _____ |
Demographic Questions
Understanding respondent demographics allows you to segment and analyze results. Some common demographic questions include:
- What is your age?
- What is your gender?
- What is the highest level of education you have completed?
- What is your marital status?
- Which racial or ethnic group(s) do you identify with?
- What is your annual household income?
Conclusion
Developing effective polls and surveys is a mix of art and science. While this list provides a starting point of question types and topics to consider, you’ll want to tailor your surveys carefully based on your specific objectives and audience. Keep your goals clear, ask objective questions, and order poll questions thoughtfully. Analyze results segmented by key demographic factors. Refresh your surveys periodically to ensure you keep pace with evolving needs. With strategic polling and measurement, you can gain invaluable insights to guide your organization’s strategic decisions.
