Templates Create a poll

Ranking poll

Instead of one vote each, participants put the options in order from most to least preferred. Every position earns points, so you see not just the favourite but how the whole list compares.

Create a ranking poll Try the ranking demo

How to create a ranking poll

  1. Open the poll creator and choose Ranking as the question type.
  2. Add the options to be ranked — as text, or as pictures with an optional caption.
  3. Optionally allow Not important / don’t know, so participants can set options aside instead of ranking every one.
  4. Optionally turn on Randomize option order, so the starting order doesn’t nudge everyone the same way.
  5. Leave Max points on its default or set your own, choose who can see the results, and select Create poll.

How participants rank

  • Drag the options into order with a mouse or a finger, or use the Move up and Move down buttons.
  • The keyboard works too, and the buttons are large enough to tap on a small phone screen.
  • If you allow it, an option can be moved to Not important / don’t know and moved back with Rank this.

How the points are calculated

Each participant’s top pick gets the maximum number of points and their last pick gets 0, with equal steps in between. By default the maximum is the number of options minus one, so with four options the places are worth 3, 2, 1 and 0 points. You can set a different maximum, from 0 to 1000, when you create the poll.

The points from every participant are added up for each option. A worked example with four options and three participants:

  • Participant 1 ranks A, B, C, D — A gets 3, B 2, C 1, D 0.
  • Participant 2 ranks B, A, D, C — B gets 3, A 2, D 1, C 0.
  • Participant 3 ranks A, C, B, D — A gets 3, C 2, B 1, D 0.
  • Totals: A 8 points, B 6, C 3, D 1. A is the overall favourite and B a clear second.

Places are counted from the top, so someone who ranks only their top two options gives those two the points for first and second place. Options set aside as not important get no points from that participant.

This is a points total, sometimes called a Borda count. It is not instant-runoff or ranked-choice voting: there are no elimination rounds, and an option that many people place second can come out ahead of one that a few people place first.

Reading the results

Results list every option with its total points and a bar compared with the leading option, plus how many participants ranked it and how many said it was not important. You choose who can see the results — only you, people who have already responded, or everyone — and you can export every response as a CSV file from the manage page.

Ranking, rating or multiple choice?

  • Ranking — when the options compete with each other and you need a priority order: which features to build first, which improvements matter most, the order of talks or tasks.
  • Rating — when each item should be judged on its own, for example a 0–10 score for several parts of an event. Two items can both score high (see rating poll).
  • Multiple choice — when you only need the single favourite, or a yes/no answer. It is quicker for participants, especially with a long list.

Ranking works best with a short list — roughly 3 to 10 options — so participants can compare them all.

Pictures, quizzes and templates

  • Picture ranking — rank images instead of text, for example design drafts (see the picture poll page).
  • Quiz / Test — a ranking question can have a correct order and score points when the order matches (see the quiz maker).
  • Part of a larger poll — combine a ranking question with other question types in one survey.