Survey vs Questionnaire: What’s the Difference?

When gathering information, surveys and questionnaires are your best friends. But what exactly is the difference between the two? Is there a right time to use one over the other?

Let’s explore the key differences and how you can use them to collect valuable data for your business.

Questionnaire vs Survey: What's the Difference?

It’s easy to confuse surveys with questionnaires. The two seem similar because they both collect information, but they aren’t exactly the same. A questionnaire is simply a list of questions.

A survey, on the other hand, is a lot more. A survey includes a questionnaire but also goes further by collecting, analyzing, and interpreting the answers.

Think of it this way: every survey has a questionnaire, but not every questionnaire is a survey. A questionnaire only asks questions, while a survey takes that extra step to turn the answers into useful data.

Questionnaire Definition

A questionnaire is just a set of questions you give people to gather information. It can collect both types of data:

• Quantitative data.) (like numbers or ratings)
• Qualitative data (like opinions or written responses)

Businesses use questionnaires to learn more about their audience, their behaviors, and their preferences(i.e Market Research). It’s a handy tool when you need to know specific details like age, gender, or how people feel about something.

Types of Questionnaires

• Quantitative Questionnaires: These use simple, closed-ended questions (like Yes/No or multiple-choice). For example, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with our service?”
• Qualitative Questionnaires: These use open-ended questions, allowing people to explain their answers in more detail. For instance, “How can we improve our service?”
• Demographic Questionnaires: These gather information about things like age, gender, or income. For example, “What is your age group?”
• Psychographic Questionnaires: These look at people's attitudes, values, and opinions. For example, “How important is eco-friendliness when choosing a brand?”
• Scaled Questionnaires: These provide different answers. For example, you might see, “On a scale from 1 to 5, how easy was it to use our website?”
• Pictorial Questionnaires: Instead of text, these use pictures to get feedback, like asking which logo design you prefer.

Examples of Questionnaires

• Employee Feedback Questionnaire: Collect feedback from employees about their work environment and overall satisfaction.
• Market Research Questionnaire: Use this questionnaire to gather data on market trends, customer preferences, and competitors.
• Demographic Questionnaire: Gather demographic data such as age, gender, and location from your audience.
• Psychographic Questionnaire: Use this questionnaire to dig deeper into your audience’s attitudes, values, and opinions.
• Health History Questionnaire: This questionnaire collects a patient’s medical history for health-related studies or consultations.

Survey Definition

A survey is more than just a list of questions. It involves gathering responses, analyzing the data, and using it to make decisions. Surveys are useful for businesses that want to understand their customers better.

For example, after a product launch, a company may send out a customer feedback survey. This survey helps them learn what customers think about the product. The results help the company see what’s working and what needs improvement.

Types of Surveys

• NPS (Net Promoter Score) Surveys: These measure how likely a customer is to recommend your business. The question usually asks, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend?”
• CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) Surveys: These measure how satisfied customers are with your product or service. A typical question might be, “How satisfied are you with your experience today?”
• CES (Customer Effort Score) Surveys: These ask how easy it was for customers to solve a problem or complete a task. For example, “On a scale of 1 to 5, how easy was it to find the information you needed?”

Examples of Surveys

• Customer Satisfaction Survey: Use this survey to measure customer satisfaction with your products or services.
• Event Feedback Survey: After hosting an event, send this survey to gather feedback from attendees.
• Product Satisfaction Survey: This survey collects feedback on customer satisfaction with a specific product.
• Employee Engagement Survey: Measure how engaged and motivated your employees feel with this survey.
• Customer Experience Survey: This survey gathers insights into how customers interact with your brand throughout their journey.

Get free survey templates at Formester!

Survey vs Questionnaire: Which One Should You Use?

So, should you use a survey or a questionnaire? It depends on what you need to achieve.

• If you just want to gather data without analyzing it right away, use a questionnaire.
• If you want to analyze responses to make decisions, run a survey. A survey gives you more insight because you can measure and interpret the data.

Surveys help businesses improve customer experiences, while questionnaires are useful for gathering information upfront.

When to Use a Survey or a Questionnaire?

Here are some scenarios where you would use a survey vs a questionnaire:

• Use a Questionnaire if you need to collect basic data from a group, like demographics or initial feedback. For example, if you’re a startup, a questionnaire can help you gather information about your target audience.
• Use a Survey when you want to measure opinions, satisfaction, or trends over time. For example, after a customer buys something, sending a survey can help you learn about their experience. This feedback can show you how to improve.

Writing the Best Questions

No matter if you use a survey or an online questionnaire, clear questions are important. They help with data analysis and make sense of the information you collect. Keep these tips in mind:

• Be clear and concise: Ask simple survey questions that are easy to understand.
• Avoid leading questions: Don’t influence the answer with your wording.
• Mix question types: Use both closed and open-ended questions to get a mix of data.

If you're still struggling to ask the right questions, you can use AI prompts to generate highly quality questions that matter.

Tools for Surveys and Questionnaires

When it comes to creating surveys and questionnaires, having the right survey maker tool makes a big difference. The best tools help you easily design, send, and analyze your questions and answers.

Some tools also give you ready-made templates to save you time. Whether you're gathering customer feedback or learning more about your audience, using the right survey builder is important.

To make it easy for you to choose the right tool, check out our comparison tool to find the best survey building software. It helps you compare features and pricing, so you can pick the best one for your needs!

Conclusion

Both surveys and questionnaires are powerful tools for collecting feedback. A questionnaire is a simple way to ask questions. A survey goes further by collecting and analyzing the survey data.

Use surveys to understand your audience better and make informed decisions that improve your business. Want to create your own survey? Try our free survey maker today!

And if you're looking for the best SurveyMonkey alternatives, Formester has you covered.