Just about every organization needs to gather data from target audiences. Businesses ask customers about what products and services they like most or how happy they are with the level of service provided. In education, school administrators ask students for course and teacher evaluations. In healthcare, medical professionals ask patients about their health background.
In each scenario, the approach to data-gathering may be different. Why? Because the way you ask for information will affect the level of detail and the quality of the answers you’ll receive.
Two popular ways to gather data from a target audience are polls and surveys. How do you know which one to use when? In this article, we look at polls vs surveys and break down their key differences and optimal use cases.
The basics of polls and surveys
Both polls and surveys are ways of gathering data from a target audience. Any industry — from politics and business to education and media — can use these methods. In previous decades, researchers conducted both polls and surveys either in person or on paper. However, today, people usually respond to both polls and surveys online. Let’s look at how each method of data gathering works.
How a poll works
A poll typically focuses on only one question. The format of the question is closed-ended, meaning that it’s in the form of a multiple choice question, rating scale, or a simple yes or no option. The poll respondent doesn’t need to provide reasoning for their answer or additional details; they simply select one of the given answers.
An example of a poll question is “Who will you vote for as class president?” The multiple-choice answers in this case would be the names of the people running for class president. “It is usually anonymous, straightforward, and short — intended to collect just basic information from the respondents,” says Ben Michael, vice president of operations for Michael & Associates, a criminal defense law firm.
How a survey works
A survey, on the other hand, contains multiple questions that can be open-ended, closed-ended, or both. The topic of the survey typically focuses on one area — customer satisfaction, for example — and all of the questions pertain to that topic.
Many surveys also ask for contact information from the survey respondent. Often, surveys provide room for respondents to expand on their answers and provide additional details. “[Surveys] attempt to paint a more comprehensive picture of what the collective opinion really is on a topic,” says Michael.
“As such, when your goal is to get an overall feel for public opinion on a particular subject in a shorter period of time, then you would use a poll. However, if you need an in-depth understanding about an issue, then you should employ the help of a survey,” Michael adds.
Key differences between a poll and a survey
While they seem quite similar, there are a number of key differences between polls and surveys:
- Number of questions: A poll focuses on only one question, while a survey can have multiple questions. If you want to get feedback on various aspects of a topic from your target audience, then a poll won’t be able to provide you that level of insight.
- Question format: Poll questions are closed-ended, while survey questions can be closed-ended, open-ended, or both.
- Level of detail: Because polls only focus on one closed-ended question, they don’t provide as much detail as survey questions do. For those who want a surface-level answer only, a poll is a good choice. For those who require deeper insights, a survey may be the best choice.
- Anonymity: Many polls are anonymous, so the maker of the poll doesn’t know which respondents have provided which answers. Surveys typically aren’t anonymous.
- Time to complete: Polls take very little time for respondents to complete because they have only one question. Often, a respondent can complete the poll in a matter of seconds. Surveys take longer to complete, and the time varies depending on the number and type of questions they contain.
Factors for choosing a poll vs a survey
The key differentiating factor when choosing between a poll vs a survey comes down to the type of information you want to gather from your target audience.
If you want surface-level information from your target audience on one specific topic and don’t require contact information from your respondents, then a poll is likely the best choice. It will give you a general idea of how your target audience feels on a particular topic.
“Polls are typically conducted quickly, with results available soon after data collection. They are often used to gather public opinion on current events or topics of interest,” says Daniel Ask, CEO at NCCuttingTools, a resource for diamond cutting tools.
If you’re looking for information on a broad topic and want to be able to delve deep into certain areas within that topic, a survey is the best way to go. A survey will also provide you with contact information for your survey respondents, so you can match people with answers, which may provide additional insight into the data.
Keep in mind that because surveys have multiple questions and different types of questions, analyzing the data is more challenging compared to analyzing poll data. You’ll need to have the resources available to delve into the data and make sense of the survey answers in order to gain the insight you’re looking for. “[Surveys] are used to gather more detailed information about attitudes, behaviors, and opinions on a wider range of topics,” says Ask.
Examples of polls
Here are examples of different types of polls:
- Knowledge poll: Teachers can use polls like these at the end of a lesson to see whether their students understood the material. It’s also a useful tool at events when you want to see whether attendees got the information they needed.
- Scheduling poll: This is a great way to see the availability of multiple people for a specific meeting or event.
- Date poll: This type of poll assists with event scheduling by allowing people to vote on their preferred date for an upcoming event.
- Ranking poll: This type of poll enables people to rank things in a specific order. It works well with a number of topics in business, education, and politics.
Examples of surveys
Take a look at these examples of different types of surveys:
- Product or service survey: This survey enables businesses to discover the target audience’s likes and dislikes and to learn where they need to make improvements to specific products and services.
- Cancellation survey: This type of survey is best when a target audience no longer wants to work with a particular organization. It asks questions that the organization can use to retain other clients more effectively.
- Social media survey: This type of survey asks a range of questions about social media use. It also works well for gathering information about other types of media, such as smartphone or TV usage. This type of survey is beneficial when organizations are considering which media platforms to advertise on to reach the largest part of their target audience.
- Follow-up survey: Send out this type of survey after an appointment, event, or interaction to gauge the respondent’s level of satisfaction. It works well for multiple industries.
Jotform: The best solution for polls, surveys, and beyond
Whether you’re looking to create polls, surveys, or something else (like a questionnaire or a form), you can do it with Jotform.
Jotform is an easy-to-use form-building tool that comes with hundreds of templates for both surveys and polls, so you never have to start from scratch. Use the intuitive drag-and-drop builder to customize the poll or survey for your needs by changing the text, question format, visuals, and structure. Each poll and survey you create is highly secure, so you and your respondents know that your data is always safe. üPlus, with Jotform Tables, you can easily analyze the responses to make sense of the data and glean important insights to make future decisions. So, when you’re trying to decide between using a poll vs a survey, no matter which you choose, Jotform has you covered.
Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash
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