What is a closed-ended question?
A closed-ended question gives people a fixed set of answers to choose from, such as yes or no, a rating or a list of options. Because every answer fits a known option, the results can be counted, compared and tracked over time.
Fixed answers, easy to count
A closed-ended question, such as “Did you find what you were looking for?”, limits the answer to options you set in advance. People answer with a tap, and you get numbers, such as the share who said yes or the average rating.
Closed questions produce quantitative feedback, and they make up most of a typical survey: they are easy to answer on a phone, easy to compare between groups and easy to repeat each quarter. Their limit is that people can only pick from what you thought of, so a closed question can't tell you about a problem you never listed.
Most surveys mix them with one or two open-ended questions. The closed question measures, and the open question explains.
- Answer
- One or more choices from a fixed list
- Common types
- Yes / No, multiple choice, rating scales, ranking, matrix
- Best for
- Scores, trends and comparisons between groups
- Results read as
- Shares, counts and averages
- Opposite of
- Open-ended question
Types of closed-ended questions
Closed questions come in a few families, each suited to a different kind of answer. Pick the type by what you want to learn: a fact, a choice, a degree or an order.
| Type | Example | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| Yes / No | “Did your order arrive on time?” | Yes or No |
| Multiple choice | “How did you first hear about us?” | One or several options |
| Rating scale | “How satisfied are you with support?” | 1 to 5 stars |
| Likert scale | “The setup was easy.” | Strongly disagree to Strongly agree |
| Ranking | “Rank these features by importance.” | An order of items |
| Matrix | “Rate each part of your stay.” | One scale for several rows |
Closed-ended question examples
A closed question works when every likely answer fits on the list. Short, concrete questions about one moment get the cleanest answers.
- “Did you find what you were looking for today?” with Yes and No
- “How easy was it to complete your purchase?” on a 1 to 7 scale
- “Which plan are you on?” with your list of plans
- “How often do you use the app?” with Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Less often
- “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?” from 0 to 10
How to analyze closed-ended answers
Turn each option's count into a share of all answers, and follow the share over time. For scales, report an average or the share at the top of the scale. Then compare groups, such as mobile against desktop or new customers against long-time ones, to find where the answers differ.
Say 400 visitors answer “Did you find what you were looking for?”. 300 say yes and 100 say no, so 75% found it. If the share is much lower on mobile, look at the mobile page first.
- Yes
- 300 answers
- No
- 100 answers
- All answers
- 400
- Share who found it
- 300 ÷ 400 = 75%
When to use closed-ended questions
Use closed questions when you know the likely answers and need numbers you can compare. Switch to an open question when you are exploring a topic for the first time or need to know why.
- Tracking a score such as NPS or CSAT over time
- Splitting customers into groups, such as plan or role
- Short surveys on a website or in an email, where one tap matters
- Choosing between known options, such as which feature to build first
How to write good answer options
The options decide what people can say, so they deserve as much care as the question itself.
- Make options that don't overlap, so each answer has one home
- Cover every likely answer, and add “Other” with a text box when you can't
- Keep scales balanced, with as many positive points as negative ones
- Put ordered options in order, and shuffle the rest when position could sway answers
- Add “Not applicable” when some people can't answer
Closed-ended questions in Usertick
The survey editor has a question type for each kind of closed answer, including Yes / No, Multiple choice, Dropdown, Stars, NPS, CES, Emoji, Ranking, Matrix, This or that, Slider and Big scale. Logic rules on a question can jump to another question or end the survey based on the answer, so a high score can lead to a referral request and a low one to a question about what went wrong.
Results draws each question in the chart its type gets, such as a donut for a single choice or a bar per rating, and compares it with the period before. Selecting an answer filters the whole page to the people who gave it, and the Audience tab shows scores per country, device, language and page.
When a survey's first question is NPS, Stars, CES, Emoji, Yes / No, Multiple choice or Dropdown, customers can answer it inside the email Usertick sends, and the survey opens with that answer filled in.
Mistakes to avoid with closed-ended questions
Small choices that keep the results useful.
- 01
Options that overlap
Ranges such as “1 to 5” and “5 to 10” leave people unsure where they belong. Make every option distinct.
- 02
Leaving out a likely answer
When the true answer isn't on the list, people pick the closest one and your counts drift. Add “Other” with a text box.
- 03
Asking only closed questions
Numbers show that something changed but leave out why. Add one open question after the score that matters most.
- 04
Lopsided scales
A scale with three positive points and one negative pulls answers up. Balance the points around the middle.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. A rating scale offers a fixed set of points, such as 1 to 5 stars or 0 to 10, so each answer fits a known option and can be counted.
Yes. Their answers can be counted, turned into shares and averaged, which makes them the main source of quantitative feedback in a survey.
People can only choose from the options you thought of, so you miss answers you didn't expect, and you learn what people chose without the reason. A short open question after the key one fills that gap.
Yes, with survey logic. In Usertick, a rule on a question can jump to another question or end the survey based on its answer, in step-by-step and chat surveys on every plan.
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