Form questions

Community needs assessment questions by service area

Ask 12 to 16, with a top three priority question near the end. Never skip the gaps grid, the top three priorities and the suburb. The gaps show what is missing, the priorities force a ranking that budgets need, and suburb shows where needs cluster.

Community needs assessment questions ask residents which services they use, where the gaps are, what should come first and what stops people getting help. These twenty two questions are grouped by service area, so a neighbourhood house, council or charity can see which needs are greatest and for whom.

The questions

About you

  1. Which suburb do you live in?DropdownRequired

    Suburbs in the service area plus Outside the area.

  2. Which age group are you in?Dropdown

  3. Who lives in your household?Multiple choice

    Children under 5, school age children, older people, a person with disability, none of these.

  4. Main language spoken at homeDropdown

Services you use

  1. Which local services have you used in the last year?Multiple choice

    Library, neighbourhood house, playgroup, community health, food relief, youth programs, aged care support, legal advice.

  2. How did you find out about them?Multiple choice

  3. Is there a service you needed but could not get?Long text

    Often the most useful answer in the survey.

Gaps

  1. How well are these needs met in your area?Rating gridRequired

    Rows: affordable housing, mental health support, activities for young people, help for older people at home, childcare, food security, transport, digital skills. Columns very poorly met to very well met.

  2. Which group in the community is most overlooked?Short text

Priorities

  1. Which three should be the top priorities for the next three years?Multiple choiceRequired

    Ask people to tick three only; the instruction goes in the question, since a checkbox cannot count.

  2. If one new service or program could start next year, what should it be?Long text

  3. How should services be delivered?Multiple choice

    In person, online, phone, outreach at home, in schools.

Barriers

  1. What makes it hard to use local services?Multiple choice

    Cost, transport, opening hours, not knowing they exist, language, waiting lists, feeling unwelcome.

  2. How do you usually travel to services?Single choice

  3. Do you have reliable internet at home?Single choice

  4. Have you ever been turned away or put on a waiting list?Single choice

Wrap up

  1. How connected do you feel to your local community?Single choice

  2. Would you volunteer for a local program?Single choice

  3. Would you like to hear the results?Single choice

  4. Email for the results, optionalEmail

  5. Anything else?Long text

  6. How did you hear about this survey?Dropdown

    Shows which channels reach which groups.

Which questions to make required

Three are required: suburb, the gaps grid and the top three priorities. Suburb lets needs be mapped, the gaps grid is the core measure, and the priority question is what turns a long list of needs into a plan. A required matrix counts once any row is answered, so check how many rows each person completed. Everything else is optional, which respects people who only want to answer what they know.

The form built from these questions

A static copy of the finished form, from its own example page.

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How do you use Pelican Flat Reserve? Tick all that apply. *

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Three ways to change this bank

For a needs assessment focused on young people, replace the household questions with school year and where they spend time after school, and run it through schools and youth services. For older residents, add questions on getting to appointments, help at home and loneliness, and offer paper copies. For a council strategic plan, add a question on which council services people would pay more for and which could be reduced, which brings trade offs into the open. In every version, translate the survey for the main languages spoken locally, or the results will understate the needs of the people least able to answer in English.

Questions people ask

What is a community needs assessment?

A structured way of finding out what a community needs, which needs are met and which are not, and what should come first. Surveys are one part; others include service data, population statistics and conversations with groups who rarely answer surveys. Together they shape programs and funding bids.

How do you reach people who do not answer surveys?

Go where they are: libraries, food relief, playgroups, schools and community events, with paper copies and helpers. Translate the survey for the main local languages. Partner with organisations trusted by groups such as migrants or young people, who may not respond to an official survey.

Why ask people to pick three priorities?

Because asking whether each need is important makes everything important. A forced choice of three shows what people would put first if resources were limited, which is the real situation. Count how often each option is picked, overall and by suburb or age group.

How long should a community needs survey be?

About ten minutes at most. Longer surveys lose people, especially those with the least time, who often have the greatest needs. Keep the core questions short and make the rest optional. A shorter survey with more responses beats a long one few people finish.

How should the results be shared?

Publish a plain language summary showing what people said, which priorities came out on top and what will happen next. Present results by suburb or group where numbers allow. People who see their input used are more likely to take part next time.

Should a needs assessment collect personal details?

Only what is needed: suburb, broad age group and household type are usually enough. Avoid names and addresses in the main survey. If people want the results, collect an email separately and explain how it will be used, in line with privacy principles.

How often should a community needs assessment be done?

Every three to five years is common for a full assessment, often matched to a strategic or funding cycle. Shorter checks on specific topics can happen in between. Keep core questions the same so changes over time can be seen.

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On writing the questions themselves, read How to create a survey, from the decision back to the questions. For everything the builder can do, see the form maker. Step by step: Create a conversational form with AI, then View, export and manage your responses.

Sources

Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .