Write a Survey

Your Destination: Learn how to create a survey. Surveys help collect data about anything you want to learn more about. You can use surveys to get feedback and opinions on your cause or from your community.  

Travel Kit: notebook; pen or pencil; computer, printer, and photocopier (optional), Google Forms 

On the Path: 

Step 1 Think about what cause you want to bring more awareness to and what questions you want the participants to answer in your survey. Have at least 10 questions for them to answer. Think about what type of data you want to collect from your survey.  

Step 2 When writing your questions, they must be direct and clear. You can make them multiple choice, and they should not be leading questions. Leading questions prompt or encourage the desired answer and can prevent you from getting honest answers. Be sure to ask a question about their relevant demographics (such as age range, ethnic background, gender) so you can understand the backgrounds of the people answering. Include a “Prefer not to say” option for this question so they do not feel pressured. 

Step 3 Once you are done with writing up your questions, have them ready to be answered. You can upload them online and email them to people, like with Google Forms, photocopy them if handwritten, or you can print them out on paper, which you will have to collect back once they have been filled out. For Google Forms, make sure you have a Gmail account, click the dot square near your account icon, and select the purple icon “Forms.” From there start a blank form (the square with a plus) and type in your questions and answers one at a time. 

Step 4 Let your participants know that they will be anonymous at the start. Their names do not impact the data you collect, and you only want to record their responses. Letting them know that the survey is anonymous may help them feel more honest with their answers.  

Group Tour: Have a classmate or friend help you get as many participants as you can. Hand out your survey outside a park or school. Or, promote your survey on social media.  

Extend Your Journey: Make more than one survey to gather more data about the cause you are supporting.  

Learn New Vocabulary: anonymous, data, leading question, survey 

Resources and Visual Aids: Access our blogpost, How to Write Surveys: https://artsphere.org/blog/how-to-write-surveys/

Watch Our Instructional Video