How and when to use checkboxes in online surveys

Appropriate formatting is a vital component of effective online surveys. The right formatting will engage respondents, make it easier for them to navigate through the survey, and increase the survey response rate. Here are a few tips for how and when to use checkboxes.

Checkboxes

 checkbox.gif

Checkboxes are used for multiple-choice questions. These response categories usually are not mutually exclusive and are used when multiple answers exist for a single question, as in the example on the left. Note that checkboxes are used when there are lists of options and the user may select any number of choices, including none, one, several, or all. In other words, each checkbox is independent of all other checkboxes in the list, so checking one box doesn’t uncheck the others.

About Todd Hollander

Hollander is Founder and President of Todd Hollander Market Research. He has over 25 years of experience in the design and analysis of strategic market research, is an instructor in the University of Georgia’s "Principles of Marketing Research" course, and is the author of "We’re Killing Our Kids," a highly-acclaimed book on the childhood obesity epidemic, and “The Online Survey Doctor,” a weblog dispensing expert advice about internet survey research.
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