How to write a questionnaire, block by block

To write a questionnaire, build it in blocks and put the blocks in order: an introduction that says who is asking and why, any screening questions, the core topic blocks from easy to hard, sensitive questions once the respondent trusts you, demographics near the end, and a close. Within each block, closed questions come before the open question that explains them.

Why structure matters more than any single question

Most advice about questionnaires is about wording one question well. The order of the questions matters as much, because each answer is given in the context of the ones before it. Pew Research Center’s guidance on writing survey questions puts it directly: earlier questions can unintentionally provide context for the questions that follow. A satisfaction question asked straight after a question about a late delivery is answered by someone who has just been reminded of the late delivery.

So a questionnaire is written twice: once to choose the questions, once to arrange them.

Block 1: introduction and consent

Say who is asking, what the answers are for, how long it takes and who will see the answers. If any answers are personal, say how they are stored and whether the questionnaire is anonymous. This is also where consent goes when the questionnaire is for research. GOV.UK’s guidance on form structure adds a rule for the next block: start with the questions that let people know if they are not eligible, so nobody spends time on a form that does not apply to them.

Block 2: screening questions

If some people should not answer, or should answer a different set of questions, ask the screening question first so nobody invests time for nothing. The course evaluation form on this site opens with “Which class were you in?”, which both screens and groups the answers. The screening question page covers how to word one.

Block 3: the core blocks

One topic per block, in the order a respondent would naturally think about it. Within a block, start with closed questions that are easy to answer and finish with an open question asking why. Use one scale across the questions you want to compare. The course evaluation puts teaching, materials and outcome in three rating grids, then asks hours spent outside class, a factual question that comes after the opinions on the same topic.

Pew notes that asking a more specific question before a more general one can produce a contrast effect. If you need an overall rating that is not coloured by the details, ask it before the detailed block.

Block 4: open questions

Place open questions after the closed questions they explain, and limit them to two or three. Long open questions late in a questionnaire get short answers or none, so ask the most important one first. The course evaluation asks for the most useful part and then requires one thing to change, which keeps the critical question from being skipped.

Block 5: sensitive questions

Questions about health, money, conduct or anything a respondent might find awkward go after trust is built and the purpose is clear. Pew advises against asking several difficult questions in a row, so space them between easier ones. Offer a way to decline.

Block 6: demographics

Pew advises that demographic questions such as income, education or age should not be asked near the beginning of a survey. Ask only the ones you will use to group answers, put them near the end, and make them optional where you can. The demographic question page covers the usual set.

Block 7: the close

End with a summary question if you need one, such as whether the respondent would recommend the course, and one optional catch all. Then say what happens next on the thank you screen.

Section breaks and length

On a one page questionnaire, put a heading at the top of each block so people can see the shape of the task. On a long questionnaire, split the blocks into pages with a progress indicator; the multi step form page covers when that helps. For the wording of single questions, see how to write survey questions and open against closed questions. Before sending, run the checks in how to pilot a survey.

A short business questionnaire, laid out

Here is how the blocks look for a fictional dance studio surveying parents at the end of a term. The introduction says the survey takes about four minutes, is anonymous, and will decide next term’s timetable. The screener asks which class their child attends, which both routes and groups the answers. The first core block rates the classes: teaching, progress and how well the class suits the child’s age, on one five point scale. The second core block asks about logistics: the day, the time and the car park, on the same scale. A factual question follows, how many terms the child has attended. Two open questions come next: the best part of the term, and one thing to change. There are no sensitive questions and no demographics beyond the class, because the studio does not need them. The close asks whether they will enrol next term and offers an optional comment.

That is twelve questions in five blocks. Each block covers one topic, the scale stays the same where answers will be compared, and nothing personal is asked that the decision does not need.

In the product

A classic form can be laid out as one flowing page, a single column, or paginated into steps with a progress bar and a Page X of Y badge, and section headings are their own component. A conversational form asks one question per screen and can skip ahead with jump rules when an answer matches, which suits a screening question; there is no show or hide of single fields and no randomisation of question order. The multi step form builder page shows pages, and the guide to paginating a classic form shows how to split blocks into steps.