Find out how far readers trust your reporting, and why
Ask readers how much they trust what you publish, how you handle mistakes and what would raise their trust. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What news trust survey questions tell you
News trust survey questions ask readers how much they trust your reporting, how you handle mistakes, what would raise their trust and how they check a story they doubt. Trust rarely shows up in traffic numbers until it is gone, and these questions give you a score to follow and the reasons behind it.
Ask once or twice a year, in the same words each time, so the score compares with the period before. From Starter, or on 1 survey on Free, show the survey to a share of traffic across the site, so casual readers answer as well as loyal ones, and pick five to seven questions with the trust score first.
Each written answer gets a theme, a sentiment and an urgency, so a claimed error in a live story stands out from a general worry about the news. Give each response an owner in the inbox, and post doubts about specific stories to the standards editor in Slack or Microsoft Teams.
- Questions
- 13
- Best asked
- Once or twice a year, across the site
- Industry
- Media
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 13 trust and accuracy questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
How much readers trust you
The scores to follow year on year, asked in the same words each time so the comparison holds.
- 01Big scale
How much do you trust what you read from us?
The headline trust number, from one to ten. Results shows the average and a column per step; ask it the same way twice a year so the comparison with the period before means something.
- 13Multiple choice
How has your trust in the news changed this year?
Whether trust in the news has fallen, held or risen this year. Results shows each share, the background against which to read your own trust score.
- 07Matrix
How much do you agree about our reporting?
Four statements on checking facts, naming sources, covering more than one side and admitting what is unknown. The heat map with row averages shows which practice readers doubt most.
- 09Big scale
How independent do we seem from advertisers?
How independent you seem from advertisers, from one to ten. Read it with the funding question to see whether openness about money goes with a higher score.
Mistakes and corrections
Ask these together, so readers who spotted an error can say how you handled it and what made them doubt you.
- 02Yes / No
Have you spotted a factual mistake in our work?
Whether the reader has spotted a factual mistake. Select Yes in Results to read how those readers rate your corrections and what made them doubt you.
- 03Multiple choice
How well do we handle our mistakes?
How the reader thinks you handle errors, from hiding them to correcting them openly. Results shows a donut with each share; many readers who haven't noticed suggests corrections are hard to find.
- 05Text
What made you doubt a story of ours?
An open question for the story that raised doubts. Each answer gets a theme and an urgency, so a claimed error can reach the standards editor the same day.
What builds trust
Use these to decide what to show on every story, from named sources to who funds you.
- 04Multiple choice
What builds your trust in a news source?
Readers pick every signal that earns their trust, from named reporters to a clear owner. Results shows a bar per signal, a checklist for what to make visible on every story.
- 10Ranking
Rank what would raise your trust in us
Readers order what would raise their trust, from visible corrections to more reporters on the ground. Results shows the average place of each, a priority list for the standards team.
- 06Yes / No
Is it clear who owns and funds us?
A yes or no on ownership and funding. A low share of yes is a reason to link a clear page about who owns and funds you from every article footer.
How readers check the news
The habits behind the scores, worth reading next to the trust number to see whom your readers compare you with.
- 08Multiple choice
How do you check a story you doubt?
What readers do when they doubt a story. Results shows each share; a lead for reading another outlet means readers already compare, so linked sources matter more.
- 11Number
How many news sources do you read in a week?
How many news sources the reader uses in a week, typed as a number. Results shows the median and the middle half, which tells you whether your readers rely on a few outlets or read widely.
- 12Text
Which outlet do you trust most and why?
An open question on the outlet readers trust most. Each answer gets a theme and a sentiment, and the reasons readers give for a rival are practices worth studying.
Tips for asking about trust and accuracy
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask a share of all readers
From Starter, or on 1 survey on Free, show the survey to a share of traffic across the site, so the answers come from casual readers as well as loyal ones.
- 02
Keep the wording fixed
Ask the trust questions in the same words each time, so a change in the score comes from readers and never from the wording.
- 03
Make errors easy to report
Add the doubt question to article pages, and give every claimed error an owner in the inbox the same day.
- 04
Show the newsroom what readers doubt
On every plan, post answers about specific stories to the standards channel in Slack or Microsoft Teams, so reporters see them.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about trust and accuracy
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Once or twice a year for the trust score and the agreement grid, asked the same way each time. Results compares each card with the period before.
A wide mix of readers. From Starter, or on 1 survey on Free, show the survey to a share of traffic across the site, so you hear from casual visitors as well as subscribers.
Yes. Add the open question about what made them doubt a story, and each answer arrives in the inbox with a theme and an urgency, ready to give an owner.
Yes, on a website, link or QR code survey, where no user ID, traits or visitor ID is stored. Surveys sent through Usertick email are not anonymous.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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