How to Write a Good Survey (and Avoid Leading Your Participants)
If you’re a postgraduate student or early-career researcher, there’s a good chance you’ve had to design a survey as part of your data collection. And if you felt slightly out of your depth doing it, welcome to the club.
Despite the widespread use of surveys in academic research, very few of us are actually taught how to write one well. We’re given theoretical models and maybe a few templates, but when it comes to crafting questions that elicit meaningful, unbiased responses? That part is often left to trial and error.
So, here’s a practical guide to one of the most important (and most overlooked) elements of survey design. Framing.
Framing is everywhere - even when we don’t notice it
Every question you write carries assumptions. The way it’s worded influences how participants interpret it and what kinds of responses they’re likely to give. This is what we mean by framing.
Consider this example:
“How much do you struggle to stay motivated during online classes?”
The issue her is it assumes a struggle exists. Even if participants don’t find it difficult to stay motivated, they’ve now been nudged to frame their answer in terms of a problem.
A more neutral version would be:
“How would you describe your motivation during online classes?”
This now allows respondents to speak from their own experience, not yours.
It matters because framing doesn’t just affect how your participants answer, it affects what kind of data you collect, how credible your findings are, and whether or not your research stands up to scrutiny. Or how reflective it is of the data you are trying to collect in the first place.
What about open-ended questions?
They’re essential. Period. They are there to uncover nuance, but only if they’re designed carefully. Too often, researchers throw in a generic:
“Any further comments?”
Which isn’t effective. It puts the burden on the participant to decide what’s relevant, and most either skip it or use it to air unrelated frustrations.
A far more effective approach is to anchor your open-ended question to a specific item. One tried-and-true method is to pair a satisfaction rating with a follow-up:
“On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied were you with [X]?”
“Why did you give that rating?”
This structure gives participants a clear frame of reference but still invites them to elaborate in their own words. It focuses their attention while still leaving room for diverse, unexpected insights. Arguably the most valuable kind.
Why does this matter?
Because biased questions lead to biased data. And as researchers, we spend an enormous amount of time trying to control for bias. So it makes no sense to accidentally introduce it at the very first stage of our research design.
A well-designed survey:
Focuses on the topic without leading the participant
Uses open-ended questions intentionally and sparingly
Encourages honest, reflective responses
Makes participants feel like their input is valued—not assumed
It’s not about collecting any data, but collecting data that reflects the reality of your participants, not the expectations of you or your research team.
Survey design is a very powerful tool you have as a researcher. And yet, it’s often one of the least formally taught. Don’t be discouraged if you feel like you’re still learning, t’s a skill that improves over time.
Start by being mindful of framing. Pair ratings with reflective questions. And above all, approach your participants with genuine curiosity - not with a hypothesis to confirm.
You’ll be surprised how much richer your data becomes when you simply ask simpler questions.
