Templates Create a poll

How to write a good poll question

A poll is only as useful as its question. These rules help people understand what you are asking, answer quickly and give you results you can act on.

Start with the decision you need to make

Before writing anything, finish this sentence: “When the results are in, I will…”. If the answer is “book the restaurant with the most votes”, your question is about restaurants, and the options are the restaurants you would actually book. If you can’t finish the sentence, the poll is probably trying to do too much.

Write the question for the people answering it, not for yourself. They will read it once, on a phone, often in a hurry.

Ask about one thing at a time

A question that combines two things can’t be answered honestly by someone who feels differently about each part.

Instead of “How satisfied are you with the food and the venue?”

Better “How satisfied are you with the food?” and, as a second question, “How satisfied are you with the venue?”

Someone who loved the food but couldn’t hear anything in the venue has no right answer to the first version. In VotePoll you can add up to 25 questions to one poll, so splitting costs nothing.

Keep the wording neutral

Words like “great”, “new and improved” or “don’t you agree” tell people which answer you expect. Many will give it to you, and you learn nothing.

Instead of “Don’t you agree our new cafeteria is much better?”

Better “How satisfied are you with the cafeteria?”

The first version names the answer it wants and assumes the cafeteria changed for the better. The second asks for an opinion without suggesting one — a rating question from 0 to 10 fits it well.

More on this in how to avoid bias in survey questions.

Be specific about time and scope

Instead of “How often do you exercise?”

Better “In the past seven days, on how many days did you exercise for at least 30 minutes?”

“Often” means different things to different people. A fixed time frame and a clear threshold turn a vague impression into something people can count.

The same goes for decisions: “Where should we go?” is easier to answer as “Which restaurant should we book for Friday’s team dinner?”.

Make the answers fit the question

Good answer options cover every reasonable answer and don’t overlap. If a participant can’t find their answer, they either skip the poll or pick something that isn’t true.

Instead of Age options “18–25, 25–35, 35–45”

Better “18–24, 25–34, 35–44, 45 or older”

In the first list a 25-year-old fits two options and a 50-year-old fits none.

How many options to offer, and when to allow several answers, is covered in how many answer options should a poll have?

Pick the question type that matches the answer

  • One favourite or a yes/no: Multiple choice.
  • A priority order of competing options: Ranking.
  • A score for each item on its own: Rating (0–10).
  • Choosing between images: Pictures.
  • When people are free: Meeting.
  • Their own words: Text answer, with an optional minimum and maximum length.

The online poll maker page describes each type in detail.

Test it before you share it

Use Preview after creating the poll to see it exactly as participants will — nothing you enter there is counted. Better still, ask one person to answer it and tell you what they thought each question meant. You can change the questions until the first response arrives; after that the structure is locked so results stay consistent.