An online survey can be formatted so that all the questions appear on a single page or across several pages. Deciding which format to use for your survey can have a significant effect on both the response rate and the quality of information you receive.
With a single-page questionnaire, the respondent scrolls down to see the next question. At the foot of the page, there is a button to submit the answers to the server. There are several drawbacks to single-page surveys, including:
- Problems with download delays due to the amount of information on the page.
- A higher percentage of respondents who decide not to complete the survey.
- Can force respondents to answer questions that do not apply to them.
- Less flexibility/functionality, particularly with respect to asking follow-up questions or skipping subsequent questions based on responses to previous questions.
- Increased risk of data loss because the respondent has to complete the entire questionnaire before submitting the data.
- Inability to require responses to certain questions.
- Increased perception among respondents that the survey sponsor is unprofessional or unsophisticated.
Because of these drawbacks, single-page surveys often produce lower response rates and less useful results than multi-page surveys. Consequently, most online questionnaires developed by market research professionals use a multi-page approach. A typical page will load rapidly and fit neatly on the respondent’s screen regardless of resolution. The respondent answers one or more questions on each page then clicks an arrow or button to proceed to the next page. Data is stored on the server each time the respondent moves to a new page.
One of the biggest advantages of the multi-page approach is that it avoids the bias that could be caused by showing the respondent all of questions in advance. Another significant benefit is that multi-page surveys allow the respondent to skip to subsequent questions based on responses to other questions (the techniques for this practice include “skipping,” “branching,” and “piping”).
With multi-page studies there is much debate about whether to include a “back” button. The advantage of the back button is that it allows respondents to go back and correct errors. However, a big disadvantage is the risk that respondents will use the back button to shorten the survey by avoiding follow-up questions. If you want to capture initial thoughts such as unaided awareness and/or avoid the risk of respondents “gaming the system,” you will want to avoid the back button.
The bottom line: If you want your survey to produce a high response rate and actionable results, you should employ a multi-page format.
