Best Of
Double-Barreled Questions: Definition, Examples, and How to Avoid Them
Article written by Kate Williams
Product Marketing Manager at SurveySparrow
17 min read
14 June 2024
Best Of
Article written by Kate Williams
Product Marketing Manager at SurveySparrow
17 min read
14 June 2024
When you conduct surveys, it’s essential to get accurate responses. However, ambiguity in your questions can confuse respondents, leading to unclear responses. One type of ambiguous question is a double-barreled question.
Also known as a double-direct, double-ended, or compound question, this question asks two things at once. For example, “Do you like the new design of our website and the new features we added?” is a double-barreled question. It asks two things: Do you like the new design? And do you like the new features?
In this blog post, we’ll learn about such questions, see some examples, and learn how to avoid them in your surveys.
A double-barreled question is an informal fallacy in which a single question asks two or more questions simultaneously. This can confuse respondents, who may not know which question to answer. As a result, these questions can skew survey results.
It is essential to ask clear and concise questions to avoid double-barreled questions. Each question should focus on a single issue. For example, instead of asking, “Do you like the new movie and the new restaurant?” it is better to ask two separate questions: “Do you like the new movie?” and “Do you like the new restaurant?”.
By avoiding such questions, you can ensure that your surveys are accurate and reliable.
A customer has purchased a new car and is trying to figure out how all its features work. They call the customer support agent to understand what the car’s manual elaborates. The agent gives them proper answers and responds to each question with clarity. It clears all the doubts in the mind of the new car owner.
After the interaction, the car owner receives a survey, and the question goes like this:
“How would you rate the quality of the interaction with the agent and that of your car showroom experience?”
Do you understand what’s wrong here? The interaction with the agent was significant so that the customer might give a 10 on 10. But what if the experience at the car showroom was below par? The customer is forced to provide a single response to both of them.
In a question like the above, the customer gets confused. The survey analysis will also be skewed because it is difficult to understand. You never know whether the customer has responded to both issues. Both questions are measured on different yardsticks.
Double-barreled questions provide a less-than-stellar survey experience and negatively impact the final results. They are usually used in courtrooms to confuse the people on the stand into admitting something unintentionally. Even though it is used on purpose at times, it could also be because of poor proofreading or a lack of carefulness.
A simple way to find this question is to search for the conjunction “and.” However, that is not always the case, as “and” can also be used in a properly formatted question.
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Let us look at a few examples of double-barreled questions and show you how the questions should have been asked.
This question asks two things: is the software simple and exciting? This can be unclear for respondents, who may not know how to answer both parts of the question. For example, someone might find the software simple but not attractive, or vice versa.
A better way to ask this question would be to break it down into two separate questions:
Is the software simple to use?
Is the software interesting to use?
This would allow respondents to answer each question separately and give the researcher more accurate information about how respondents feel about the software.
This question also asks how happy you are with the work environment and how satisfied you are with the pay. This can confuse respondents, who may not know how to answer both parts of the question. For example, someone might be happy with the work environment, not the pay, or vice versa.
A better way to ask this question would be to break it down into two separate questions:
How happy are you with the work environment?
How satisfied are you with the pay?
This would allow respondents to answer each question separately and give the researcher more accurate information about how respondents feel about their work environment and pay.
This question asks three things at once: how often do you go to the mall, how much money do you spend when you go there, and how much do you spend in total? This can be unclear for respondents, who may not know how to answer all three parts of the question. For example, someone might go to the mall once a week but only spend a small amount of money each time, or someone might go to the mall less often but spend more money each time.
A better way to ask this question would be to break it down into three separate questions:
How often do you go to the mall?
How much money do you spend when you go to the mall?
Let’s add it up: how much money do you spend at the mall?
This would allow respondents to answer each question separately and give the researcher more accurate information about how often respondents go to the mall, how much money they spend when they go there, and how much they spend in total.
This question also asks two things: is it a helpful tool, and is it faster? This can confuse respondents, who may not know how to answer both parts of the question. For example, someone might find the helpful tool but not faster, or vice versa.
A better way to ask this question would be to break it down into two separate questions:
Is this tool useful?
Is this tool faster?
This would allow respondents to answer each question separately and give the researcher more accurate information about how respondents feel about the tool.
This question also asks: is there a good market for the software, and are there fewer competitors? This can confuse respondents, who may not know how to answer both parts of the question. For example, someone might think there is a good market for the software but not that there are fewer competitors, or vice versa.
A better way to ask this question would be to break it down into two separate questions:
Is there a good market for the software?
Are there fewer competitors for the software?
This would allow respondents to answer each question separately, giving the researcher more accurate information about the market for the software and the number of competitors.
Some check-in questions may not be technically double-barreled, but they can still be confusing and lead to inaccurate results. For example, the question “Should the company increase amenities at the office and offer three meals for the employees?” asks two questions: “Should the company increase amenities at the office?” and “Should the company offer three meals for the employees?”
This is because the word “and” implies that the two parts of the question are related. However, there is no guarantee that respondents will interpret the question this way. For example, someone might answer “yes” to the question because they think the company should increase amenities at the office, even if they don’t believe the company should offer three meals for the employees.
To avoid this confusion, it is better to ask each question separately. In this case, the two questions would be:
Should the company increase amenities at the office?
Should the company offer three meals for the employees?
By asking each question separately, you can get more accurate information about respondents’ thoughts.
Avoiding double-barreled questions is easy. Let’s see the seven most straightforward ways to break down double-barreled questions.
The easiest fix to such a question is to divide the question into two. Doing this helps in reducing the confusion for the respondent. It also becomes easy for the survey creator to analyze the results.
Let’s look at an example:
“Did you like our product and your last interaction with our customer success agent?”
If the respondents say “Yes,” what does the survey analyzer make sense of it? Did they like the product? Or did they want their last interaction? What if they only selected the interaction but not the product? If they respond with a “No,” you will never be sure which question among the two got that answer.
You can split the question this way:
“Did you like our product?”
“Did you like your last interaction with the customer success agent?”
As simple as this might sound, many of the apparent survey mistakes are because of this. Look for instances where the question asks for more than one thing.
Read the question and see if it has two or more elements but allows for only one answer. If that’s the case, you should break the question into two. Review the questions carefully with the help of a 3rd-party. A fresh pair of eyes will be able to find out more mistakes.
Before you blast the survey to your customers, please send it to your internal team to check for any issues. Review the results from the study to see if the questions make sense. Use this opportunity to check for such questions. If the internal team finds the questions confusing, you might want to revisit them.
Another way to eliminate double-barreled questions is to ask questions that align with your survey goals.
For example:
“Do you like working from home, or are you happy working from the office?”
The above question is a little confusing in the first reading. To make the question sound better, ask yourself if you’d like feedback on your employees’ work experience or about work-from-home tools to help them get their job done. Determining which question aligns more with your survey goals would be best.
Here’s a simple tip to avoid these questions- ask only one question at a time. Don’t complicate things. Your survey results will be perfect if they are clear to you.
Another way to ensure no double-barreled questions in your survey is to have quality checks at multiple points. Ensure that the quality checks are done while the study is being drafted. Even if you miss mistakes in one or two instances, various checks will ensure you avoid those questions.
Trying to get a particular answer by confusing the respondents will damage any goodwill your brand might have.
There are several other questions that you can avoid to make the survey experience an enjoyable one.
In this type of question, the surveyor is slyly persuaded to give a particular answer. The problem with leading questions is that it skews the survey results. Apart from questions, the survey creator can add leading answer options.
Answer options that are leading:
a. Too good, b. Good, c. Perfect, d. Fantastic, e. Excellent
In the above example, the respondent doesn’t get a chance to share a negative remark. They would be stumped if they did not want to share a positive remark, as there is no option.
Here’s an example of a leading question where they have added an unnecessary adjective.
“Did you enjoy our fantastic product?”
Instead of using the word ‘product,’ they have added that the product is fantastic, too.
The best way to avoid leading questions is to use neutral words and focus on the question you want the respondents to answer.
Here, assumptions are made about the respondent. Based on it, they are forced to provide answers they might disagree with or that might be irrelevant to them.
Example of a loaded question:
“How was your experience dealing with our competitors in the past year?”
The assumption is that the respondent would have used your competitor’s services in the past year. Unless there is the option to skip, it will provide survey results that they don’t want.
You can eliminate loaded questions by asking preliminary questions. Based on the answers, you can use the skip logic feature to ensure that respondents get to see questions that are relevant to them.
In this type, the respondents are given two extreme variables, putting them in a difficult situation. They force the respondents to answer with a yes or no. Words like always, every, all, and never are included.
Example:
“Do you always work on Saturdays?” Yes/No.
The ‘always’ in this question puts the respondent in a spot. Stop using absolute words in the surveys to avoid this type of question.
Bias could be present in your survey methodology, target population, questions, and answer options. The way the question is worded can also be a reason for bias to creep in. During the planning stage of the survey, you have to ensure there is no reason for any bias to enter. Examine how the respondents could perceive your questions.
The survey questions should be clear, simple, and easy to understand while reading for the first time. You shouldn’t want the respondent to keep reading the question repeatedly to see if they have understood what is being asked. It will impact the accuracy of the survey results. Ambiguous questions will result in dropoffs.
Ambiguous questions leave room for free interpretation, leading the respondent to guess what the survey creator had in mind. It results in unreliable survey results.
Example of an ambiguous question:
“If A plays a game of badminton with B, and he’s a champion player, will he win?”
Reading the above question is irritating as you will never be able to figure out who the champion player is, whether it is A or B.
These types of questions are usually intended to confuse the readers. They are poorly worded, and the format is also intentionally illogical.
Example:
“Did you like your onboarding experience, or was it bad?”
Mistakes in the above survey question can happen to anyone. By using the strategies that we have discussed above, you can steer clear of committing these blunders. It will not look suitable for your organization.
Ambiguous questions, confusing questions, absolutes, biases, double-barreled questions, etc., are best avoided. It will result in collecting inaccurate data, and your organization will end up making disastrous decisions for itself. Ask simple and lucid questions to get the best bang for your buck. Please do not make the respondent second guess their understanding of the question.
The questions you add to the survey should be consistent, make sense, and have answer options that are simple to follow. Before you send the survey to your customers or target market, examine them carefully. By doing so, you will get reliable survey responses. It will help your brand identify opportunities to take your business to the next level.
Survey questions have to be written so that they are easy to understand. The respondent should be clear about what is being asked and the kind of answer that is expected of them. Double-barreled questions wreck the sanctity of the survey results by confusing the respondent.
If you are looking for an online survey tool to get customer feedback, look no further than SurveySparrow. It has power-packed features that let you ask the right questions, is easy to analyze, and populates the results in real time. Get in touch with us to understand how we can help you.
Here is an example of such a question:
“Do you think engineers should work on writing coding scripts and help the marketing team with the product?”
The question asks two different things. It can confuse the respondents as they are unsure which one to answer. It should be divided into two other questions:
“Do you think engineers should work on writing coding scripts?”
“Do you think engineers should help the marketing team with the product?”
We have converted them into two questions, which are accessible for the respondent to answer.
A double-barreled question is when you ask two questions disguised as a single one. It is misleading; even if the respondent answers, you never know which question they are addressing.
A leading question is where the respondent is persuaded to give a particular answer that benefits the survey’s creator. The respondents will be forced to respond with answers that might not even be relevant.
A double-barreled question has more than two separate issues, but the respondent can choose only one answer.
A problem in a survey research question wording where two ideas are discussed in the same question. The resulting response might not provide an ideal answer as the results will be skewed.
You can answer a double-barreled question by asking follow-up questions.
A leading question wants the respondent to give a particular answer the survey creator desires in a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ format.
“Did you enjoy the shoes from competitor A?” Here, the assumption is that the respondent has bought shoes from A even though they may not have any data signaling the same. They can pre-populate data by asking questions before the primary survey to avoid such a leading question.
They are not reliable as the questions are not appropriately structured. It can be misleading, and it confuses the respondents.
Thousands of brands trust SurveySparrow to turn feedback into growth. Try it free today!
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