I hate to lie. And I really hate it when surveys give me no other option.
Last week I reviewed a survey draft that demanded to know “What time of day do you plan to buy things online in July?” and let respondents choose one time of day, such as “6am-9am” or “Noon-3pm.”
What’s the problem?
1. This question requires people to lie. Do you only shop online before breakfast or in the middle of the night? Of course not. But because the question only allows one response, it requires people to falsely report they only buy things at one time of day. The solution: Let respondents choose more than one answer so they can accurately describe their behavior.
2. It also requires most people to guess. Unless you own a crystal ball, you can’t name everything you’ll buy online five months from now. So you can’t say what time of day you’ll make your purchases either. The solution: Ask people about things they know for a fact — like their favorite time of day to shop online, or what time of day they last bought online — rather than things they couldn’t possibly know.
The lesson here may seem obvious, but it’s too often overlooked: Read your questions and make sure you can answer them honestly and accurately.
If this author had simply taken their own survey, they’d have known this question would never work.
Seen any truly awful survey questions or social polls lately? Let me know in the comments below, or on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Want good data delivered to your inbox? Subscribe here.