How can the type of question in your survey determine the depth of responses and transform your research outcomes entirely?
At BSure, we believe that crafting a successful survey starts with understanding the difference between closed-ended and open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions provide specific and clear answer options, while open-ended questions give respondents the freedom to express themselves and elaborate in detail.
At BSure, we offer you flexible tools to smartly combine both question types, so your surveys become a reflection of your organization’s professionalism and analytical depth.
In this article, we’ll uncover the difference between closed-ended and open-ended questions, with practical examples of each type, and how to blend them to achieve the best results in your surveys.
First: What Are Closed-Ended Questions?
A closed-ended question is one that offers the respondent a defined set of answer choices, without allowing them to go beyond or express their opinion freely. These answers often come in forms like: “Yes/No,” “Choose one from the list,” or “Rate from 1 to 5.”
This type of question is used when your goal is to obtain numerical data that is easy to interpret, statistically analyzable, and comparable across respondents. It allows you to quickly identify general trends and extract clear indicators to support your decisions.
Pros and Cons of Closed-Ended Questions:
While closed-ended questions are a common and user-friendly option in survey design, relying solely on them may hide significant insights in respondents’ opinions. They are highly effective in collecting quick, analyzable data, but may limit participants within options that don’t fully reflect them.
Pros | Cons |
Easy analysis and statistical comparison | May show bias depending on the nature of the provided options |
Higher response rates due to low effort required | Provide limited insight by restricting answers to predefined choices |
Provide standardized data that’s easy to track over time | Lack context behind the responses |
Suitable for large samples | May force participants to select an answer that doesn’t genuinely reflect their views |
When to Use Closed-Ended Questions: Top 5 Scenarios
Closed-ended questions give you defined, easily analyzable responses and are ideal when you need measurable data or want to simplify participation and reduce respondent effort.
Here are the top scenarios where they are preferred:
1. Precise Measurement and Comparison
When your goal is to track results or compare performance across segments, closed-ended questions are the best choice.
Example:
“How satisfied are you with the service?”
Excellent / Good / Average / Poor
• Track customer satisfaction over time
• Compare product or team performance
• Measure standard indicators like Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Read also: How does BSure help improve your customer experience?
2. Quick Decision-Making
If you’re testing a concept or need to make an immediate decision, you’ll want straightforward, easy-to-interpret answers.
Example:
“Which ad caught your attention more? Ad A / Ad B”
• A/B testing for creative concepts
• Filtering participants based on specific criteria
• Gathering demographic data (age, location, profession…)
3. Reducing Effort on Participants
Closed-ended questions shorten the time required to answer, maintaining respondent engagement especially in long surveys or mobile formats.
• Ideal for quick responses on the go
• Helps avoid fatigue in lengthy surveys
• Crucial for busy audiences with limited time
4. Standardizing Responses and Simplifying Analysis
Closed-ended answers ensure data consistency and make it easier to input into statistical tools.
• Useful for quick, visual reporting
• Facilitates comparison over time or across different samples
5. Filtering Audience or Smart Question Routing
Closed-ended questions can be used early on to determine whether the participant is eligible to continue the survey.
Example:
“Do you work in the healthcare sector? Yes / No”
Depending on the answer, different questions can be shown, or the survey can end, using BSure’s smart conditional logic feature.
Read our detailed article: How to enable conditional logic in BSure surveys?
Second: What Are Open-Ended Questions?
Open-ended questions are those that allow participants to respond in their own words, without being limited to predefined answer choices (such as multiple choice).
These questions give respondents the freedom to express their thoughts, emotions, and opinions in the detail they choose, in their own language and without filtering. Responses are usually longer and more conversational in tone, but within the context of a survey, they remain readable and analyzable.
Pros and Cons of Open-Ended Questions:
Open-ended questions offer a chance to uncover the unexpected. They don’t stop at “yes” or “no”, they let respondents speak freely in their own words, offering rich context and a deeper understanding of how your audience thinks. But this freedom may come at the cost of time and effort, both for the participant and the researcher.
Pros | Cons |
Encourage creative or unexpected insights | Require time and effort for detailed responses |
Offer detailed context about customer behavior and preferences | Harder to analyze and often require manual coding or specialized tools |
Avoid response bias from limited choices | Lower response rates due to the effort involved |
Reveal emotions and nuances not seen in numbers | Data quality may vary; responses might be unclear or shallow |
When to Give Respondents the Freedom to Express? Top 5 Scenarios
Open-ended questions provide space for open communication and uncover aspects that can’t be revealed by numbers alone. They are ideal in the following situations:
1. Enhancing Engagement and Trust
• To make the customer feel heard and valued
• To create an open space for expressing opinions, especially in customer satisfaction or feedback surveys
• As a closing question:
“Do you have any additional comments you’d like to share with us?”
2. Exploring New and Unknown Areas
• To learn about customer opinions on your brand without bias
• To assess unaided awareness, e.g.:
“When thinking about [category], what brands come to mind and why?”
• To identify unmet needs or market opportunities
3. Understanding the Real Reasons Behind Behaviors
If a customer gives a low rating, follow up with:
“You rated our service as poor what happened during your experience?”
Or explore their decision-making process:
“What made you choose a competitor instead?”
4. Gathering Creative Ideas and Insights
To develop new products based on user suggestions:
“If you were to design the ideal product, what features would it include?”
Or to generate content that aligns with their interests:
“What questions do you still have that we haven’t answered?”
5. Understanding the Customer’s Language
• To discover how customers describe your product in their own words helpful for marketing
• To identify the terms they actually use and the issues they face
How to Combine Closed and Open-Ended Questions?
Effective surveys don’t rely on one question type only, they strategically mix closed and open-ended questions to collect both analyzable data and deep insights that reflect the full reality of respondents.
Here are the best practices for achieving that balance:
• Start with simple closed-ended questions to ease participants into the survey and guide them clearly
• Follow up rating questions with open-ended ones to uncover the reasons behind their answers
• Begin with open-ended questions to explore customer thoughts freely, then convert the findings into more focused closed-ended questions
• Conclude the survey with open-ended questions to allow for any final feedback or thoughts
• While open-ended questions are valuable, use them sparingly to avoid fatigue and maintain high response rates
This balance doesn’t just improve response quality, it helps you build a deeper, more holistic view of the subject, empowering you to understand the customer experience from all angles and make more informed, strategic decisions.
Examples: Open vs. Closed-Ended Questions
Open-Ended Questions | Closed-Ended Questions |
How was your experience using our product? | How satisfied are you with our product? (Very satisfied / Satisfied / Neutral / Dissatisfied / Very dissatisfied) |
When shopping for this category, what brands come to mind and why? | Which brand do you prefer? (Brand A / Brand B / Brand C / Other) |
What would you tell a friend who’s thinking of trying our service? | Would you recommend our service to others? (Yes / No) |
Describe your recent experience with our customer service. | How would you rate our customer service? (Scale of 1 to 10) |
What features matter most when choosing this type of product? | What’s the most important feature to you? (Feature A / B / C / D) |
Tell us how and when you typically use our app. | How often do you use our app? (Daily / Weekly / Monthly / Rarely / Never) |
What made you choose our company over other options? | What was the main reason for choosing us? (Price / Quality / Convenience / Brand Reputation) |
What factors will influence your decision to purchase from us again? | How likely are you to buy from us again? (Very likely / Likely / Unlikely / Very unlikely) |
In Conclusion…
Choosing the right question type isn’t a minor detail, it directly impacts the quality of your collected data and the depth of insights you can extract.
Closed-ended questions offer speed and clarity in analysis, while open-ended questions open the door to broader, more accurate understanding of participant experiences.
But the true power doesn’t lie in choosing one over the other, it lies in the smart balance between both. When the roles of closed and open-ended questions are well-distributed, you get more than numbers, you get a complete story that helps you make better-informed, more professional decisions.
Start applying this balance using BSure’s tools, built to simplify survey creation and analysis with precision.
Begin your BSure journey today, and design a survey that speaks for you and your audience.
