How closed-ended questions work
The respondent chooses from options that you write. Common formats:
- Yes or no: "Have you used our mobile app?"
- Single choice: "Which plan are you on?"
- Multiple choice: "Which features do you use? Select all that apply."
- Rating scale: "How satisfied are you, from 1 to 5?"
- Dropdown: a long list of options, such as countries.
Why they are useful
Closed-ended answers are quick to give and easy to count, chart, and compare over time. Most survey metrics, such as NPS and CSAT, come from closed-ended questions.
Things to watch
- The options must cover every likely answer, and they must not overlap.
- The order of options can change answers, which is one kind of response bias.
- You learn what people chose, but not why. Add an open-ended question when you need the reason.
Closed-ended questions in FormFlux
FormFlux has radio button, checkbox, dropdown, multi-select, rating, and slider fields for closed-ended questions.