Templates Create a poll

How many answer options should a poll have?

There is no single right number, but there is a right number for your question. It depends on how many real alternatives there are and how much effort you can ask of the people answering.

First: cover the real alternatives

List every answer a reasonable participant might want to give, then remove the ones nobody would pick. For most everyday decisions — a date, a venue, a name — that leaves somewhere between two and seven options.

If you are not sure you have thought of everything, add a separate optional Text answer question such as “Anything else we should consider?”. That keeps the main results clean while still catching ideas you missed.

Short lists: 2 to 7 options

Short lists are quick to read on a phone and the results are easy to discuss. Use them for decisions: “Which date works best?”, “Which logo should we use?”.

With only two options, check that there really are only two. “Should we move the meeting to Thursday?” hides a third answer — “yes, but not Thursday”.

Long lists: when many options are genuine

Sometimes the alternatives really are numerous — “best film of the year” or “which session should we repeat?”. Long lists work when the options are easy to scan:

  • Sort them in an obvious order, such as alphabetical, so people can find their choice. Say so in the description, so nobody reads the order as a ranking.
  • Keep each option short and distinct.
  • Allow multiple answers, or set a limit such as “up to 3 choices”, when picking just one would be unfair to close favourites. (The “up to” limit is available when you create the poll with an account.)

Instead of One choice from a list of 25 films

Better Up to 3 choices from the same list

With one choice, a film that many people love but rank second gets no votes at all. With up to three, the results show breadth of support as well as the favourite.

When several answers are allowed

With multiple answers allowed, VotePoll shows each option’s share as the people who selected it out of the people who answered the question. That means the percentages can add up to more than 100% — that is expected, not an error. Mention it if you share the results with others.

When to rank instead

If you need a priority order — which three projects to fund first — a ranking question gives more information than multiple choice. Ranking asks more of participants, so keep the list to roughly 3 to 10 options. Allowing Not important / don’t know lets people set aside the options they have no view on instead of ranking them at random.

“Don’t know” and “None of these”

Offer a “none of these” or “don’t know” option when it is a real answer — for example “None of these dates work for me”. Leave it out when you want people to make a choice. In a meeting poll, VotePoll already has None of these times work, recorded separately from skipping the question.