Does your question have more than one answer?
Have you ever been asked a question and thought: Huh, I really wish I could check more than one of these answers! I know I have. Deciding whether your survey question should be single or multiple response is just as important as deciding whether it should be closed or open-ended (remember, open-ended questions are when people can type in whatever they want).
The problem with using a single response question when you really should be using a multiple response one is that you miss out on important information. Let's take a look at this example from Facebook. This question popped up after I hid an ad on my page yesterday. They wanted to know why. And, I get it! That's super helpful information that they can use to improve my experience with ads and also help ensure companies' ads get in front of the right people.
Yikes. Where to start? The response options here need to be simplified. The language is too complicated, and it's difficult to understand what they mean. What is repetitive? What is incorrect language? Knows too much - say what? These options need to be rethought. The only option I really like is "Already purchased." Would I prefer "bought" over purchased? Yes. But, overall, that's a clear option.
In addition to using confusing language, Facebook makes the mistake of not including a full range of possible responses. For me, I really didn't like the life coach in the ad that I saw. I'm familiar with their work and not a fan. What option would I choose from this list to reflect that? I would need an "Other" category. I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but providing an "Other" option is a great way to ensure everyone can fit their honest response somewhere.
Lastly, if you want to know about someone's reasoning, you definitely want to allow for the possibility that there is more than one right answer. Unless you are asking: "What is the top/most important/#1 reason you...", make your question select all that apply. Don't miss out on important data! If I'm skipping an ad because I've seen it too many times and I think it's irrelevant to me, don't you want to know both of those things so you can make adjustments?
Here's a super short & sweet alternative:
Can you see the difference? This re-worked question asks you to choose all the reasons you may have hidden an ad. It also offers specific and straightforward answer categories that are easy to interpret.
Might there be more answer choices? YES. People in marketing or on the Facebook team may have other ideas of common reasons people hide ads that they want to include. Great.
This rewrite gives Facebook easily, actionable information. They'll immediately know if I already bought the thing from the ad, if they are showing me the ad way too often, if I don't think the ad is relevant to me, or if I'm tired of seeing an irrelevant ad. That knowledge is power. It allows Facebook to adjust their advertising so I have a better experience as a consumer and so that their advertisers are more likely to see success.
Better questions. Better data. Better decisions.
