Member surveys are one of the most effective tools your division can use to stay connected with its community. When thoughtfully designed, they provide valuable insights into member needs, preferences, and priorities. Surveys can help guide programming, communications, and strategic decisions.
But not all surveys deliver meaningful results. If the questions aren’t clear, relevant, or actionable, you risk low response rates and data that’s difficult to interpret. Here are some best practices your division can consider when putting together a survey:
Here are some best practices your division can consider when putting together a survey:
- Design every question with the analysis in mind. Don’t ask questions you already know the answers to. Determine exactly what information you need and avoid nice-to-have questions.
- Keep it short. Under seven minutes is ideal. As the survey gets longer, respondent’s motivation decreases, their responses become more similar or they may break off.
- Don’t ask leading questions. For example: “Division 99 works tirelessly to meet our member’s needs. Please rate your satisfaction with member benefits.” This may influence the respondent to say they are satisfied. Remove the unnecessary wording. Something like “Rate your satisfaction with division 99’s membership benefits” would work better.
- Avoid double-barreled questions. Don’t ask about two separate concepts at the same time. For example: “Please rate your satisfaction with the registration process and the duration of the event.” This is the type of question that should be split into two since you want to know about the registration process and the duration of the event.
- Do use simple and clear words. Avoid using jargon, uncommon vocabulary or acronyms.
- Reduce the number of open-ended questions and make sure open-ended questions are narrowly focused, easily interpreted and easy to respond to.
- Avoid ambiguity. For example: “What are your thoughts about this event?” Respondents won’t know what you’re asking, what to write about, so they may either give up, or you might get a wide range of answers and it would be difficult to compare and analyze.
- Make sure Likert Scale questions are clear. The scale should be fully labeled, balanced and consistent. For instance, your rating of two might mean slightly dissatisfied but my rating of two might mean moderately dissatisfied. Fully label each scale point, otherwise, people may interpret numbers differently. For instance, When the question is asking about satisfaction, you want to use the corresponding scale points (e.g., extremely satisfied, somewhat satisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, extremely dissatisfied).
- Front load your survey. Your most important question should be your first.
- Respect your respondent's time. It is better to not ask one more question and keep a member, than ask that question and lose their interest in completing future surveys.
If you have questions about surveys, contact your division engagement liaison.