Research survey examples, templates, and types

What are the benefits of survey research?

Providing data that can be relied on. Whether conducting market research or preparing a new product launch, research surveys supply the precise information needed to succeed. Avoid the confusion of conflicting opinions with data analysis that provides a clear picture of what people think.

At SurveyPlanet, we’re committed to making survey research easy to conduct. With our templates, have access to questions that will deliver the data you need.

The wide variety of research survey templates available is how to get useful data quickly—which makes developing more powerful solutions easier. Survey research can provide data you can rely on.

The wide variety of survey templates available helps develop the correct solution. At SurveyPlanet, we're committed to making research surveys easy to conduct and with our templates, we deliver on that promise.

What are research questionnaires?

They are a tool that returns insight about any topic. Just asking friends, family, and coworkers about a new product is not the best approach. Why? To put it simply, they're not a representative sample and may have biases.

What is needed is the opinions of your target audience. At the end of the day, it is their opinion that matters most. This requires a large enough sample to produce statistically significant data. That's where online surveys can play an important role.

Types of research surveys

Research questionnaires are a great tool to gain insights about all kinds of things (and not just business purposes). These surveys play an important role in extracting valuable insights from diverse populations. When thoughtfully designed, they become powerful instruments for informed decision-making and the advancement of knowledge across various domains.

Let's dive deeper into the types of surveys and where to apply them to get the best results.

Market research survey

Most businesses fail because their management believes their products and services are great—while the market thinks otherwise. To sell anything, the opinions of the people doing the buying need to be understood. Market research surveys offer insights about where a business stands with potential customers—and thus its potential market share—long before resources are dedicated to trying to make a product work in the marketplace.

Learn more about market research surveys.

Media consumption research survey

This type of survey explores how different people consume media content. It provides answers about what they view, how often they do so, and what kind of media they prefer. With a media consumption survey, learn everything about people's viewing and reading habits.

Reading preferences research survey

Ever wondered how, why, and what people enjoy reading? With a reading preferences research survey, such information can be discovered. By further analyzing the data, learn what different groups of people read (and the similarities and differences between different groups).

Product research survey

When launching a new product, understanding its target audience is crucial. This type of survey is a great tool that provides valuable feedback and insight that can be incorporated into a successful product launch.

Learn more about product research surveys.

Brand surveys

These help ascertain how customers feel about a brand. People buy from those they connect with; therefore, ask about their experiences and occasionally check in with them to see if they trust your brand.

Learn more about brand surveys.

Path-to-purchase research surveys

A path-to-purchase research survey investigates the steps consumers take from initial product awareness to final purchase. It typically includes questions about the decision-making process, product research, and factors influencing the ultimate purchasing decision. Such surveys can be conducted through various methods, but the best is via online surveys. The results of path-to-purchase surveys help businesses and marketers understand their target audience and develop effective marketing strategies.

Marketing research surveys

These help a company stand out from competitors and tailor marketing messages that better resonate with a target audience. Market research surveys are another type of research that is crucial when launching a new product or service.

Learn more about marketing research surveys.

Academic research surveys

These surveys are instrumental in improving knowledge about a specific subject. Consolidated results can be used to improve the efficiency of decision-making. Reliability is produced using methodologies and tools like questionnaires, surveys, interviews, and structured online forms.

Learn more about academic surveys.

Types of research methods

The three main types of research methods are exploratory, descriptive, and causal research.

Exploratory research

Exploratory research is conducted when a researcher seeks to explore a new subject or phenomenon with limited or no prior understanding. The primary goal of exploratory research is to gain insights, generate ideas, and form initial hypotheses for more in-depth investigation. This type of research is often the first step in the research process and is particularly useful when the topic is not well-defined or when there is a lack of existing knowledge. Researchers often use open-ended questions and qualitative methods to gather data, allowing them to adapt their approach as they learn more about the topic.

Descriptive research

Descriptive research aims to provide an accurate and detailed portrayal of a specific phenomenon or group. Unlike exploratory research, which seeks to generate insights and hypotheses, descriptive research is focused on describing the characteristics, behaviors, or conditions of a subject without manipulating variables.

Causal research

Causal research, also known as explanatory or experimental research, seeks to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between two or more variables. The primary goal of causal research is to determine whether a change in one variable causes a change in another variable. Unlike descriptive research, which focuses on describing relationships and characteristics, causal research involves manipulating one or more independent variables to observe their impact on dependent variables.

The research survey application

Research methods are designed to produce the best information from a group of research subjects (aka, the focus group). Such methods are used in many types of research and studies. They are methodologies that can be used for research study and data collection.

Depending on the kind of research and research methodology being carried out, different types of research survey questions are used, including multiple choice questions, Likert , scale questions, open-ended questions, demographic questions, and even image choice questions.

There are many survey applications that can collect data from many customers quickly and easily—a great way to get information about products, services, customer experiences, and marketing efforts.

Why you should use research questionnaires

The power of research questionnaires lies in their ease of use and cost-effectiveness. They provide answers to the most vital questions. What are the main benefits of these surveys?

• You don't have to wonder WHO, WHAT, and WHY because this type of analysis provides answers to those—and many other—questions.
• With a complete understanding of what's important in a research project, the best inquiries can be incorporated into survey questions.
• Get an unbiased opinion from a target audience and use it to your advantage.
• Collect data that matters and have it at your fingertips at all times.

Advantages and disadvantages of survey research

People use these surveys because they have many advantages compared to other research tools. What are the main advantages?

1. Cost-effective.
2. Collect data from many respondents.
3. Quantifiable results.
4. Flexible.
5. Convenient.
6. The most practical solution for gathering data.
7. Fast and reliable.
8. Easily comparable results.
9. Allows for the exploration of any topic.

While such advantages make it a no-brainer to use research questionnaires, it's always good to know their disadvantages:

• Biased responses.
• Cultural differences in understanding questions.
• Analyzing and understanding responses can be difficult.
• Some people won't read the questions before answering.
• Survey fatigue.

However, when these issues are understood, mitigation strategies can be activated. Every research method has flaws, but we firmly believe their benefits outweigh their disadvantages.

To execute a research campaign, the creation of a survey is one of the first steps. This includes designing questions or using a premade template. Below are some of the best research survey examples, templates, and tips for designing these surveys.

20 research survey examples and templates

Specific survey questions for research depend on your goals. A research questionnaire can be conducted about any topic or interest. Here are some of the best questions and ranking prompts:

1. How often do you purchase books without actually reading them?
2. What is your favorite foreign language film?
3. During an average day, how many times do you check the news?
4. Who is your favorite football player of all time? Why?
5. Have you ever used any of the following travel websites to plan a vacation?
6. Do you currently use a similar or competing product?
7. On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with the product?
8. What is your single favorite feature of our product?
9. When our product becomes available, are you likely to use it instead of a similar or competing product?
10. What improvements would you suggest for our service?
11. Please rank the following features in order of importance.
12. How often do you consume fruits and vegetables in a typical week?
13. How many days per week do you engage in physical activity?
14. Do you prefer traditional classroom learning or online learning?
15. How many hours a week do you spend studying for your courses?
16. What are your career aspirations upon completing your education?
17. Please rate our website's user interface from poor to excellent.
18. In what ways can we better support you as a customer?
19. Please rank the following factors in order of importance when choosing a new car.
20. Order the following smartphone features based on your preference.

Of course, you get demographic information like:

1. Age
2. Gender
3. Education
4. Occupation
5. Employment status
6. Location
7. Marital status
8. Household income

No matter the research topic, this demographic information will lead to better data-driven conclusions. Interested in knowing more about demographic survey questions? Check out our blog post explaining the advantages of gathering demographic information and how to do it appropriately.

Sign up for SurveyPlanet for free. Conduct your first survey to explore what people think. And don't worry about questions because we have some amazing templates to get you started.