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Types of Questions for Audience Analysis

Demographic questions:

Allow questioner to match trends to specific user groups.

Structured questions:

Elicit data that will be of a consistent type. Limiting the possible results makes it easier to score and compare data.

Unstructured or open-ended questions:

Respondents can share types of info you may not have expected. Feeling questions:
Give insight on people's emotional responses to specific signs and metaphors.
Detail questions: Provide additional details that respondents may not have given otherwise.

Examples of Demographic Questions

Demographic questions are an important aspect of any survey. Demographic questions are designed to help survey researchers determine what factors may influence a respondent's answers, interests, and opinions. Collecting demographic information will enable you to cross-tabulate and compare subgroups to see how responses vary between these groups.

Demographic Survey Question Examples

Age (or birth date)

Age is one of the most common demographic questions asked in surveys. How old a person is will often determine his/her knowledge and experience with the focus of the survey. When administering a survey about consumer electronics, a respondent in his 20s will most likely answer the question differently than a respondent his 70s.
Asking a respondent about Age is often one of the first demographic questions asked in a survey.
Question: hat is your age?
  1. Under 12 years old
  2. 12-17 years old
  3. 18-24 years old
  4. 25-34 years old
  5. 35-44 years old
  6. 45-54 years old
  7. 55-64 years old
  8. 65-74 years old

Ethnicity

Capturing a respondent's ethnicity or race is another common demographic question. A person's ethnicity or culture may influence his/her responses to survey questions. Answers may be influenced by the respondents experiences with the survey topic. For example, someone raised in a rural Native American culture may respond to questions about topics such as the environment differently from someone raised in an urban culture.
Question: Ethnicity origin (or Race): Please specify your ethnicity.
  1. White
  2. Hispanic or Latino
  3. Black or African American
  4. Native American or American Indian
  5. Asian / Pacific Islander
  6. Other

Education

Asking a respondent what their highest level of education completed is often found on surveys. Respondents who completed a four-year degree at a college or university may answer questions differently than those whose education ended in high school.
Question: Education: What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed? If currently enrolled, highest degree received.
  1. No schooling completed
  2. Nursery school to 8th grade
  3. Some high school, no diploma
  4. High school graduate, diploma or the equivalent (for example: GED)
  5. Some college credit, no degree
  6. Trade/technical/vocational training
  7. Associate degree
  8. Bachelor's degree
  9. Master's degree
  10. Professional degree
  11. Doctorate degree