There is a time and place to include either type of surveys: long or short. It depends on the context, market research goals, target audience and survey methodology. However, each method has its merits and drawbacks. Researchers could find themselves in a cross road when deciding on the apt approach. In this blog, we will understand the definition of a survey, a questionnaire, differences between both, and pros and cons of both long and short surveys. We will understand how it affects survey fatigue with relation to effective collection of information from our respondents.

What is a Survey?

A survey is a systematic method used in research to collect customer data from a sample population. It contains a series of questions for respondents. It aims at gathering insights, opinions, numerical details on topics or sets of topics. Surveys are used in various industries such as healthcare, business, FMCG, retail etc.

However, in restrictive terms, the survey is a tool to collect subjective opinions from a sample population. This data is analyzed to study the representative population. The word questionnaire and surveys are used interchangeably but they are the same.

Why is a survey important in research?

Surveys are an integral part of market research. A survey offers a systematic way to collect data from a large sample audience. Every customer data collected comes directly from your desired target demographics. This information will help businesses and researchers create data-driven decisions for the future. 

What is a Questionnaire?

A questionnaire is a set of structured format that is systematically designed to collect specific information from respondents. It includes both open ended and closed ended questions. A well designed questionnaire will bring a high response rate, avoid survey fatigue, and collect reliable data.

What are the two types of a questionnaire design?

Qualitative and quantitative questionnaires are two types of questionnaire design. Quantitative is known as closed ended questions. It contains scale based ratings such as Likert scales, semantic differential scales, ratings scales. It also includes customer satisfaction metrics of net promoter score (NPS), CSAT scores and CES scales. 

Qualitative is known as open ended questions. Qualitative seeks feedback in the form of personal opinions and emotional responses. Qualitative feedback has responses based on personal experiences.

Merren enables marketers to create both closed-ended and open-ended feedback templates. You can obtain media rich data in the form of audio, video and photo responses.

What is the ideal length of a survey? An eternal discussion

There are two main types: long surveys and short surveys. Each has its own characteristics and advantages. Understand the differences and choose the right survey length for your research objectives.

Long Surveys

Long questionnaires are suitable for in-depth research and detailed analysis. A greater number of questions can collect comprehensive data. Long surveys can cover a wide range of topics in great detail. However, length of long surveys can cause lower survey completion rates. 
Long surveys are used to collect demographic data, assess consumer behaviour, identify market trends, understand brand awareness etc.  

Short Surveys

Short surveys are designed to be concise and focused on key aspects. It contains a lesser number of questions for quick feedback. Short surveys have higher completion rates due to their brevity. Respondents find it convenient to answer a few quick questions.
Short surveys are used to collect post-purchase feedback, customer satisfaction metrics, identifying customer support resolution and in-app feedback etc.

Diving into Long Surveys: Uses, Pros and Cons

Now that we have a basic understanding of long surveys, let’s explore their characteristics, pros, and cons in more detail.

What is the purpose of a long survey?

Longer surveys are used for various purposes across different fields and industries. Here are some common purposes:

1. Market research:

• Gather in-depth insights into consumer preferences, behaviors, ongoing market trends, pain points, trigger points and purchasing motivations.
• Understand market demands, potential opportunities, current market gaps and competitive insights.

2. Product development:

• Collect detailed feedback on prototype designs or product concepts.
• Understand usage patterns, identify areas for innovation.
• Identify bugs, glitches and upgrade potential software applications.

3. Employee feedback:

• Evaluate job satisfaction, employee engagement and the need for professionals tools to help with tasks.
• Identify areas for improvement in the workplace environment, upskilling needs and internal systems.
• Determine collaborative efforts across departments and teamwork gaps.

4. Academic research and social sciences:

• Explore complex topics, compile comprehensive databases to gather detailed information for analysis.
• Conduct sociological or psychological research, explore attitudes, beliefs and behaviors within a specific population.

5. Healthcare and medical research:

• Collect detailed patient information for medical studies and research.
• Explore health-related behaviors, conditions, and long-term treatment outcomes.

6. Demographic and census data:

• Understand multiple households, their income levels, family status, educational background and genders.
• Calculate population figures across multiple regions and areas overall.

7. Education and training:

• Evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs, workshops and educational content.
• Gather feedback on training sessions and course development.

8. Financial and economic research:

• Gather data on economic trends, financial behaviors, and investment preferences.
• Long term impact of economic policies on customers, people and businesses.
• Impact of tax brackets on populations and businesses and the economy.

Use ready made survey templates for your research

• Brand awareness templates for automobile industries
• Customer satisfaction survey for F&B industries
• Product development templates for SaaS industry
• View more templates here

Advantages of long surveys

1. Longer format brings in-depth insights from target subjects. Researchers can explore topics in great detail for nuanced insights- dive into participants’ opinions, attitudes, and behaviors. This is useful for certain types of research.
2. Certain industries cannot do justice to certain topics with short questionnaires. A detailed insight is mandatory for a reasonable conclusion.
3. Certain aspects of research cannot rely on shorter questionnaires. This involves demographic data, consumer habits, assessing market and competitive trends. Complex insights need longer question formats.

Disadvantages of long surveys 

1. Survey fatigue can drastically affect the survey response rate. When participants lose interest, they might rush to finish the form. This can bring half-hearted responses, and poor completion rates.
2. Certain sections of the population may not have the patience to finish the questionnaire. Long surveys demand a significant time commitment from participants. In a fast-paced world, a lengthy survey can deter potential respondents. This can impact the overall sample size.
3. The length of a survey is often inversely proportional to the response rates. It could take time to finish a long survey which can bring high drop-out rates. Only a carefully designed survey can maintain respondent engagement throughout.

Diving into Short Surveys: Uses, Pros and Cons

Let us understand the uses of short surveys, its advantages and drawbacks for market research.

What is the purpose of a short survey?

Here are some common places that use shorter surveys to capture the pulse of the customer/market.

1. Quick feedback from customers:

• Conduct pulse checks on customers based on their experiences with products, services and certain interactions in the customer journey.

2. Post purchase surveys:

• Gather in-moment feedback and opinions using short surveys. Capture satisfaction metrics of NPS, CSAT that are a type of short survey. Merren’s native WhatsApp survey is best suited for this process.

3.Customer support interactions:

• Launch customer satisfaction surveys such as CSAT scores, CES scores (customer effort scores) with Merren. Support agents can resolve issues based on responses.

4.Product feedback:

• Launch Net Promoter Score surveys to gauge brand loyalty and product recommendations.
• Capture usage metrics, how it has solved the user’s pain points and need gaps for continuous improvements.
• Collect initial reactions to a product or a prototype from their beta testers.

5. In-app feedback:

• Capture fast in-app feedback on products to meet the needs of the consumer. Use Merren to build quick rating surveys that have a high response rate. 
• Understand the level of engagement on certain application features and offerings.
• Assess user satisfaction based on app updates and features.

6.Social media feedback

• Measure brand perception on social media using short and simple questions.
• Get feedback on social media marketing campaigns from your target followers.
• Gauge public opinions on products, services or current trends and topics.

Advantages of short surveys in a research

1. Short surveys are easier to fill, need less mental effort and usually get more respondents willing to participate.
2. Shorter questionnaires (rating based surveys) have a high response rate. Due to its low effort feature, people can quickly answer the feedback form and submit.
3. Bring in-moment customer feedback across touchpoints and from people who do not have the time or bandwidth to answer lengthy questions.
4. Marketers can easily deploy shorter feedback forms across multi channel platforms- WhatsApp messenger, Facebook messenger, in-app feedback and chatbots.
5. Shorter surveys bring faster response and objective specific customer data. CX teams can use this data to improve customer satisfaction and experiences on a daily basis.

Disadvantages of short surveys in a research

1. Due to the length of this survey, all responses have a surface-level conclusion. Shorter surveys cannot be used for detailed feedback or for nuanced information.
2. Shorter feedback forms do not address complex topics. These are primarily less than five questions or a single question oriented survey (net promoter score). They are best suited for straightforward topics where brevity is an asset.

How To Create A Quick Survey on Merren?

Go to the Merren sign up page here. We offer a 14 day free trial where you can access most features without any technical know-how. All tools are available for use on the dashboard. 

1. Click on create a survey button on the top right corner. Under the CREATE A SURVEY segment, click on create NPS survey. 
2. Fill the survey details such as : name of the survey and name of the brand. 
3. In the preference segment, you can determine the number of respondent attempts, select language of your survey etc.  
4. Under the QUESTIONS segment, you can view two main NPS questions. You can preview, edit as per your preference. 
5. You can preview and test or publish the survey directly. Choose any survey channel of your choice. 
6. When respondents fill the native WhatsApp survey, you can view all responses in real time under the reports segment. All responses will be segregated under results,trends and respondents. 

Create short surveys and get a high response rate

• Create your own free WhatsApp surveys with this step by step guide.
• Create your own free chatbot survey here.
• Create a fast email survey using AMP email here.

Long Surveys vs Short Surveys: Which Method to Choose?

To determine the length of your survey, there are some factors to consider when it comes to collecting feedback or conducting a full-fledged market research:

Choose your research objective:

Clearly define your research objectives. If the topic needs a comprehensive study, a longer survey design can be appropriate. For focused and specific research, a short survey could be the optimal choice. For example you might want instant feedback to gauge retail experience or a quick post purchase feedback.

Determine the demography of your participants:

Who are your target respondents? Consider factors such as the age group, profession, and interests of your participants. Younger audiences (Gen Z) may prefer shorter surveys. Working professionals in certain fields are more likely to engage with longer, in-depth questionnaires.

Determine how urgent or laid back your research is:

Assess the urgency of your research. If time is limited, short surveys can provide quick insights. Long surveys may be suitable for projects with an extended timeline where subjects require a thorough examination.

Use Merren’s online tool to support analytics:

Leverage online survey software by Merren and streamline the survey creation process. Merren CX platform offers features such as pre-created survey templates, various survey channels, real time survey data, higher response rates and AI analytics.

Considering survey fatigue:

When considering the length of your survey, factor in survey fatigue. Design questionnaires that are engaging and have a clear objective. Organize questions logically and avoid double barreled questions. With Merren, you can opt for both qualitative and quantitative feedback and introduce survey rewards to encourage participation.

Determine the right survey channel:

Consider the various survey channels once you are ready with your questionnaire. Some survey channels are not suitable for a lengthy questionnaire. Platforms such as social media apps, messenger and WhatsApp, chat bots can bring a high response rate for shorter surveys. For longer surveys, consider a more different medium such as dynamic email surveys, face-to-face interviews, phone calls (CATI approach).

Can you combine long and short surveys?

Combining short and long surveys becomes paradoxical. Short surveys are perfect for obtaining quick, actionable feedback. Long surveys help capture detailed and nuanced responses.

Is there a middle ground?

A survey length will depend on data depth and respondent engagement. The main aim is to ensure that surveys meet research objectives. Additionally, maintain respondent interest and minimise survey fatigue. Choose a moderate survey length to obtain valuable data without overwhelming respondents. Focus on a high response rate and completion rate.

Conclusion

While creating a survey questionnaire, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Survey methodology depends on the requirements of your market research. A good approach involves understanding the nuances of survey definition, recognizing the role of online survey tools, and carefully considering factors. 

Consider using Merren where you can create both long and a short survey questionnaire. Use Merren’s AI Survey Builder and create a survey for free in just a few clicks. Sign up for a 14 day free plan on Merren, no credit card required.