Every question type with examples you can copy, a plain comparison with open-ended questions, and how to put them in front of a live audience.
A closed-ended question gives the respondent a fixed set of answers to choose from: yes or no, A, B, C or D, a score from 1 to 5. That fixed set is what makes the results quick to count and easy to compare. Below you will find the seven main types, a bank of ready-to-use questions grouped by situation, and a short guide to writing questions that do not skew your results.
What are closed-ended questions?
A closed-ended question limits the answer to a list of options chosen by the person writing the survey. "Did you attend the event?" is closed. "What did you think of the event?" is open. Because every respondent picks from the same options, you can turn the answers into numbers, percentages and charts straight away.
Pew Research Center tested exactly this. When "economy" was offered as an option in a closed-ended question, 58% of respondents chose it, compared with only 35% who volunteered it when the same question was open. In the same experiment, fewer than one in ten (8%) of closed-ended respondents gave an answer outside the five options they were read, while 43% of those asked the open version gave an answer that was not on the closed list. The lesson: closed questions are efficient, but only as good as the list behind them.
Closed-ended vs open-ended questions
| Aspect | Open-ended questions | Closed-ended questions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The respondent answers freely, in their own words | The respondent chooses from a fixed set of options |
| Type of data | Qualitative | Quantitative |
| Analysis | Slower, because every answer is different | Faster, because answers are standardised and countable |
| Best used when | You want detail, new ideas or the respondent's own perspective | You want to compare answers across a large group, quickly |
| Main risk | Answers depend on how well people write or speak, and how much they want to share | The options may leave out the answer the person actually wants to give |
| Example | What are your thoughts on the new company policy? | To what extent do you agree with the new policy introduced in July? |
Most good surveys use both: closed questions for the numbers, then an open question or two for what your options missed. See our guide to open-ended questions.
The 7 types of closed-ended questions, with examples
1. Dichotomous questions (yes/no, true/false)
A dichotomous question has exactly two possible answers: Yes/No, True/False or Fair/Unfair. It suits simple facts, experiences and quick opinions.
- Did you attend the event? Yes / No
- Have you ever visited our website? Yes / No
- Are you satisfied with the product? Yes / No
- The capital of France is Paris. True / False
- Do you think it is fair for CEOs to earn hundreds of times more than their employees? Fair / Unfair
Use them sparingly for opinions, because a yes/no question cannot show how strongly someone feels. Pew notes that agree/disagree style statements tend to be answered "agree" more often by less informed respondents (a pattern known as acquiescence). Where the topic has real shades of opinion, offer a scale or a choice between two alternative statements instead.
2. Multiple-choice questions
Multiple choice is the workhorse of surveys: one question, several options, pick one. Make the options mutually exclusive and cover the realistic range.
- How often do you use our product? Daily / Weekly / Monthly / Rarely / Never
- Which of these high-end fashion brands do you prefer? Dior / Fendi / Chanel / Louis Vuitton
- Which is the longest river in Africa? Congo / Niger / Nile / Zambezi (answer: the Nile)
In AhaSlides, this is the Poll slide for opinion questions (no right answer) and the Pick Answer slide for quiz questions (one right answer, with points). Results appear on screen as people vote on their phones.
3. Checkbox questions (select all that apply)
A checkbox question looks like multiple choice, with one key difference: respondents may tick more than one option. Use it when you want to learn preferences or habits and there is no single right answer.
- Which of these social media platforms do you use? (select all that apply) Facebook / X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Snapchat
- Which of these foods have you tried in the past month? (select all that apply) Sushi / Tacos / Pizza / Stir-fry / Sandwiches
Add an "Other" or "None of these" option so nobody is forced to pick something untrue.
4. Likert scale questions
A Likert scale asks how strongly someone agrees or disagrees with a statement. The format comes from the psychologist Rensis Likert, who described it in 1932, and the usual layout is a five-point or seven-point scale with a neutral midpoint.
- I am satisfied with the customer service I received. Strongly agree / Agree / Neutral / Disagree / Strongly disagree
- I am likely to recommend our product to a friend. Strongly agree / Agree / Neutral / Disagree / Strongly disagree
- My manager gives me clear direction. Strongly agree / Agree / Neutral / Disagree / Strongly disagree
For more wording, see our Likert scale examples.
5. Numerical rating scale questions
A numerical rating scale asks people to score something on a number line, usually 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, with the ends labelled.
- On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with your recent shopping experience at our store? (1 = very dissatisfied, 5 = very satisfied)
- Please rate our customer service from 1 to 10, where 1 is poor and 10 is excellent.
Label both ends every time. A bare "rate us 1 to 10" means different things to different people.
6. Semantic differential questions
A semantic differential asks people to place something between two opposite adjectives. It works for brand personality, product attributes and perceptions.
- Our product is: expensive to affordable, complex to simple
- Our customer service is: unfriendly to friendly, unresponsive to responsive
- Our website is: outdated to modern, difficult to easy to use
Keep each pair a true opposite, and put the positive word on the same side throughout so people do not tick the wrong end by accident.
7. Ranking questions
A ranking question asks respondents to put options in order of importance or preference. It shows relative priority, which a rating scale cannot, because people can score everything a 5 but cannot rank everything first.
- Please rank these features of our product in order of importance: Price, Quality, Durability, Ease of use.
- Please rank these factors when choosing a restaurant: Food quality, Service, Ambience, Price.
Keep ranking lists short. Five or six items is about the limit before people stop thinking and just drag things around.
More closed-ended questions, by situation
Copy and adapt the ones you need. Each uses a five-point scale unless noted.
Marketing research
Customer satisfaction
- How satisfied are you with your recent purchase? (very dissatisfied to very satisfied)
- How likely are you to buy from us again? (not at all likely to extremely likely)
Website usability
- How easy was it to find the information you were looking for on our website? (very difficult to very easy)
- How satisfied are you with the design and layout of our website? (very dissatisfied to very satisfied)
Purchase behaviour
- How often do you buy our product? Never / Rarely / Occasionally / Often / Always
- How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend? (very unlikely to very likely)
Brand perception
- How familiar are you with our brand? (not at all familiar to extremely familiar)
- How trustworthy do you consider our brand? (not at all trustworthy to very trustworthy)
Advertising effectiveness
- Did our advertisement influence your decision to buy? Yes / No
- How appealing did you find our advertisement? (not at all appealing to very appealing)
Leisure and entertainment
Travel
- Which type of holiday do you prefer? Beach / City / Adventure / Relaxation
- How often do you travel for leisure? Once a year or less / 2 to 3 times a year / 4 to 5 times a year / More than 5 times a year
Food
- What is your favourite type of cuisine? Italian / Mexican / Chinese / Indian / Other
- How often do you eat out? Once a week or less / 2 to 3 times a week / 4 to 5 times a week / More than 5 times a week
Entertainment
- What is your favourite type of film? Action / Comedy / Drama / Romance / Science fiction
- How much TV or streaming do you watch? Less than an hour a day / 1 to 2 hours / More than 2 and up to 4 hours / More than 4 hours
Events
- How many guests do you expect to attend? Fewer than 50 / 50 to 99 / 100 to 199 / 200 or more
- Would you like to hire audiovisual equipment for the event? Yes / No
- How likely are you to attend a similar event in future? (not at all likely to extremely likely)
- How satisfied were you with how the event was organised? (very dissatisfied to very satisfied)
For a ready-made list, see our post-event survey questions.
Workplace
Employee engagement
- How well does your manager communicate with you? (not at all well to extremely well)
- How satisfied are you with the training and development opportunities your employer provides? (very dissatisfied to very satisfied)
Job interviews
- What is your highest level of education? Secondary school or equivalent / College or vocational qualification / Bachelor's degree / Master's degree or higher
- Have you worked in a similar role before? Yes / No
- Are you available to start immediately? Yes / No
Employee feedback
- Do you feel you receive enough feedback on your work? Yes / No
- Do you feel you have opportunities for career growth within the company? Yes / No
Performance review
- Have you met the goals set for you this quarter? Yes / No
- Have you taken steps to improve your performance since your last review? Yes / No
Social research
- How often do you volunteer for community activities? Never / Rarely / Sometimes / Often / Always
- How strongly do you agree or disagree: "The government should increase funding for public education." Strongly agree / Agree / Neutral / Disagree / Strongly disagree
- How many hours a week do you spend on social media? Less than 1 / 1 to 4 / 5 to 10 / More than 10
How to write better closed-ended questions
The question types are the easy part. These habits are what keep the data honest.
- Cover every realistic answer. If someone cannot find their answer, they will skip the question or pick the nearest wrong one. Add "Other (please specify)" or "Not applicable".
- Make options mutually exclusive. "1 to 5 hours" and "5 to 10 hours" overlap at 5. Use "1 to 4" and "5 to 10".
- Ask one thing at a time. "How satisfied are you with our price and quality?" is two questions. Split it.
- Keep scales balanced. Offer as many positive options as negative ones, with the same wording strength on each side.
- Watch the order. Pew notes that people tend to pick items near the top of a list in written surveys and items heard last in phone surveys, so many of its surveys randomise the order of options. Where order does not matter, shuffle it.
- Avoid leading wording. "How great was our new feature?" nudges the answer. "How would you rate our new feature?" does not.
- Add one open question at the end, such as "Anything else you would like to tell us?"
How to run closed-ended questions live with AhaSlides
Closed-ended questions also work live, in a meeting, lesson or event, where you see answers as people give them.
- Add a slide. Choose Poll for opinions, Pick Answer for quiz questions with a right answer, True or False for dichotomous questions, or a rating scale for Likert and numerical questions.
- Type the question and options. Keep the list short and clear.
- Share the join code. Participants open it on their phones, so there is nothing to install.
- Show the results. A bar chart or scale fills in as answers arrive, and you can review the results in the session report afterwards.
If you would rather collect answers in your own time, the free survey creator works as a self-paced survey. For quizzes with scoring and a leaderboard, see the live quiz maker. The free plan covers up to 50 participants, with five quiz slides and three poll slides, which is enough to try a short survey.
Frequently asked questions
What is a closed-ended question? A question that can only be answered from a fixed set of options, such as yes or no, multiple choice or a rating scale.
What are 3 examples of closed-ended questions? "Did you attend the event?" (Yes/No), "How often do you use our product?" (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Rarely, Never) and "How satisfied are you with our service?" (1 to 5).
What is the difference between open-ended and closed-ended questions? Open-ended questions let people answer in their own words and give you qualitative detail. Closed-ended questions limit the answers to a set list, which makes results easier to count and compare.
When should I use closed-ended questions? When you want numbers you can compare, have a large audience, or need answers fast. Add an open question when you also need the reasons behind the numbers.
Want to try one now? Create a free AhaSlides account and add a poll slide to see it live.
