Answer:
Closed-ended questions
Closed-ended questions come in a multitude of forms, including: multiple choice, drop down, checkboxes, and ranking questions. Each question type doesn’t allow the respondent to provide unique or unanticipated answers, but rather, choose from a list of pre-selected options. It’s like being offered spaghetti or hamburgers for dinner, instead of being asked “What would you like for dinner?”
Use closed-ended questions for the following:
When your audience isn’t particularly interested in your survey topic
When you need quantifiable data
To categorize respondents
1. When your audience isn’t particularly interested in your survey topic
Closed-ended questions are easier to complete than open-ended questions. Why? Because closed-ended questions lay out all of the possible answers, removing respondents’ task of coming up with their own responses.
So when you find yourself surveying an audience who may not be excited about what you’re asking them, air on the side of using closed-ended questions. It’ll give them an easier survey-taking experience and, in the process, provide you with a higher completion rate.
2. When you need quantifiable data
If you’re looking for statistically significant stats, closed-ended questions are the way to go. Going back to our earlier example, using a closed-ended question can help us arrive at stats like: 70% of respondents want to eat spaghetti for dinner versus 30% who prefer hamburgers.