About the Survey Question Types

Learn how to use single line, essay, radio button, checkbox, dropdown, likert, date, ranking and email question types.

Gayathri Rajendiran avatar
Written by Gayathri Rajendiran
Updated over a week ago

When you start adding questions to your surveys, you’ll discover that there are many question types to help you collect varying kinds of information. The question types are sorted into four categories:

To add a question to your survey:

  1. In the Manage Questions tab on your survey, select Click here to add a question.

  2. Select your question type and configure the question and options.

  3. You can format each question with bold, italics, underline, and alignment. You can also add links, images, or custom HTML to the question.

  4. If your question needs more instructions, select Add Note to provide context to your participants.

  5. Select Add question and Update.

  6. You can use the Duplicate Question option to recreate the question below.

  7. Rearrange questions by dragging and dropping them within the page. You can also select Move to move questions between pages.

We recommend planning your questions before you add them to the survey; once you add a question, you cannot change the type and you can only delete them from draft surveys with no responses. You can set questions to Inactive to hide them from the live site if the survey is published.

Open response questions

Question Type

Options

Single Line: use when you expect a short answer.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

  • Restrict answer length: limit the characters allowed for the answer. By default, this is 255 characters.

Essay: use when you expect a long answer from your participants. There are no character limits to the question or answer length.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

Email: participants can add their email to the response. If enabled, this email is used for participant notifications.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

Number: use when you want participants to provide a number as an answer. Participants can only enter numbers into this question.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

  • Restrict answer length: limit the characters allowed for the answer. By default, this is 255 characters.

File upload: participant can upload a file with their response, such as an application or supporting document. Only one file is allowed per question.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

Choice Questions

Question type

Options

Dropdown: participants can expand the dropdown menu to select one answer from the options you provide. Add more choices by selecting Add Option and use the X button to remove one. You cannot delete an option if someone has selected it in a response, and each field has a maximum of 254 characters. Drag and drop your options to reorder them.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

  • Randomize options: toggle this to ensure the choices load in a random order every time the survey is taken.

  • Allow other option: toggle this to enable participants to choose “other” as an option. A text box will appear for them to elaborate.

Radio: participants can select one answer from the options you provide. Add more choices by selecting Add Option and use the X button to remove one. You cannot delete an option if someone has selected it in a response, and each field has a maximum of 254 characters. Drag and drop your options to reorder them.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

  • Align options horizontally: toggle this to show choices horizontally instead of vertically.

  • Convert to image question: toggle this to add an image to your options.

  • Randomize options: toggle this to ensure the choices load in a random order every time the survey is taken.

  • Allow other option: toggle this to enable participants to choose “other” as an option. A text box will appear for them to elaborate.

Checkbox: participants can select multiple answers from the options you provide. Add more choices by selecting Add Option and use the X button to remove one. You cannot delete an option if someone has selected it in a response, and each choice has a maximum of 254 characters. Drag and drop your options to reorder them.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

  • Align options horizontally: toggle this to show choices horizontally instead of vertically.

  • Limit options to (max): use the dropdown to select a maximum amount of options participants can select.

  • Convert to image question: toggle this to add an image to your options.

  • Randomize options: toggle this to ensure the choices load in a random order every time the survey is taken.

  • Allow other option: toggle this to enable participants to choose “other” as an option. A text box will appear for them to elaborate.

Suburb: participants can choose a suburb or zip code from the provided list.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

Date: participants can use the calendar to select a date.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

For Choice questions, you can remove the options you provide by selecting the X button until a participant selects it in their response. After that, you cannot delete it, but you can select the eye icon to hide it.

Scale Questions

Question type

Options

Ranking: participants can assign a number rank to each option. Add more choices by selecting Add Option and use the X button to remove one. You cannot delete an option if someone has selected it in a response, and each field has a maximum of 254 characters. Drag and drop your options to reorder them.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

  • Randomize options: toggle this to ensure the choices load in a random order every time the survey is taken.

Likert: participants are given a series of statements and are asked to rate each according to the options you provide. Your Options will come preloaded with 5 ranking choices that you can edit or remove as necessary. Select Add Statement to provide your statements. Use the X buttons to remove a statement or option; you cannot remove them once a participant has selected it.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

Emoji: participants can use emojis to provide a sentiment ranking and indicate how they’re feeling about the question. The emojis are standardized in yellow. You can show either three or five options, and you can edit the label attached to each emoji.

  • Make this question mandatory: toggle this to make this a required question.

  • Show three emojis: select this to provide three emoji options.

  • Show five emojis: select this to provide five emoji options.

For Scale questions, you can remove the options you provide by selecting the X button until a participant selects it in their response. After that, you cannot delete it, but you can select the eye icon to hide it.

Page Elements

Use the Section Title and Description element to provide background information or context to the whole survey or specific pages.

You can format the Title field using the bold, italics, underline, alignment, links, images, or HTML. In the Description field, you can access more options, including lists and videos.

This question type will not have a question number in the live survey, as it is displayed as a section; the question number will be visible in the Manage Questions tab as you build the survey.

What else?

Did this answer your question?