Writing Good Survey Questions

11th GradeMath45 min

Learning Objective

I can write unbiased survey questions to collect accurate data.

Lesson Flow

Watch Video

5 min

Guided Notes

9 min

Key concepts students will learn:

  • A good survey question is one where all respondents interpret the question in a consistent manner, so questions should be as clear and specific as possible.

  • To get people to answer personal questions, you need to craft those questions carefully, explain why you need the information, and assure respondents that you’ll keep their responses confidential or even anonymous.

  • To avoid biased terms or wording, surveys will sometimes give one question to half the sample and a slightly different worded question to another half to see how respondents react to the different wording.

Practice

14 min

10 questions • Multiple choice & Short answer

Exit Ticket

5 min

Rewrite the following survey question to avoid bias: 'Do you think the extremely wasteful military budget should be reduced to fund education?' Explain what makes your revised question unbiased.

Teacher Guide

Get the complete package:

  • Answer keys for all questions
  • Differentiation strategies
  • Extension activities
  • Printable student handouts