Forced-Choice Questions: Types And Examples

Pros of Forced-Choice Questions

Using forced-choice questions in Surveys or assessments comes with a plethora of advantages. Let’s dive into the benefits that make them a go-to tool for gathering reliable data:

1. Eliminates ambiguity

Forced-choice questions provide clear options, leaving no room for confusion or misinterpretation. Your target participants can confidently select the response that best represents their views or preferences.

2. Increases objectivity

By presenting predetermined options, forced-choice questions minimize subjective biases in responses. This enhances the objectivity of the data collected, allowing for more accurate analysis.

3. Enhances comparability

The structured nature of forced-choice questions makes it easier to compare responses between different participants or groups. This comparability facilitates data analysis, interpretation, and drawing meaningful conclusions.

4. Standardizes responses

With fixed response options, forced-choice questions ensure consistency across all participants. This standardization makes data collection and subsequent analysis more reliable and valid.

5. Streamlines data processing

Forced-choice questions yield quantifiable data, simplifying data entry, analysis, and statistical calculations. This streamlined process saves time and effort in analyzing the collected data.

6. Saves time

Your target participants are presented with predefined response options, eliminating the need to formulate open-ended answers. This saves valuable time, making surveys more efficient for you and your target respondents.

7. Reduces respondent burden

By providing answer choices, forced-choice questions alleviate the cognitive burden on your target respondents. They can simply select the option that resonates with them, reducing mental effort and making surveys less demanding.

Cons of Forced-Choice Questions

1. Eliminates ambiguity

Respondents may feel restricted if their true opinion doesn’t align with the available options. This can lead to frustration or inaccurate data.

2. Potential for Bias

Respondents might choose the option that seems most socially acceptable rather than their actual preference.

3. Risk of Oversimplification

Complex issues cannot always be boiled down into predefined choices, which may oversimplify nuanced topics.

4. Forces Artificial Choices

Respondents might select an option even if none truly represents their opinion, which can distort the accuracy of the data.

Types of Forced-Choice Questions

There are three main types of forced-choice questions that you should know about. Let’s explore each of them in detail:

1. Dichotomous

This type of forced-choice question offers only two options for your target respondents to choose from. It’s all about making a binary decision.

Think of questions like “yes” or “no,” “true” or “false,” or “agree” or “disagree.” Dichotomous questions are incredibly useful when you need a straightforward, either-or response.

2. Multiple Choice

With multiple-choice forced-choice questions, you present your target respondents with several predetermined options. They’ll have the freedom to select the choice that aligns best with their preferences or opinions.

The number of options can vary, ranging from just a few choices to an extensive list. It allows for more flexibility and accommodates a wider range of responses.

3. Ranking or Rating

In ranking or rating forced-choice questions, you task your target participants with prioritizing or assigning a value to a set of options based on specific criteria.

Ask them to rank or rate the options according to their preferences, importance, or other relevant factors. This type of question offers a structured way to gather insights on preferences.

How to Conduct a Forced-Choice Survey

1. Define the Objective

• Identify the purpose of the survey (e.g., employee feedback, market analysis, personality insights).
• Determine the target audience (e.g., employees, customers, participants in a study).
• Clarify how the collected data will be used (e.g., decision-making, strategy development).

2. Design Clear and Balanced Questions

• Avoid Bias: Ensure all options are equally appealing or challenging.
• Example: Avoid questions with a preferred answer.
• Use Contrasting Choices: Offer options that force participants to make trade-offs.
• Keep It Concise: Use straightforward language and avoid combining multiple concepts in one question.

3. Choose the Survey Platform

• Use platforms that support forced-choice question formats:
• Examples: SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, Qualtrics.
• Ensure the platform provides robust analysis tools for easy data interpretation.
• Confirm it is user-friendly for both creators and respondents.

4. Test the Survey

• Check if any questions are unclear or ambiguous.
• Verify the survey duration to avoid respondent fatigue.

5. Administer the Survey

• Timing: Distribute the survey when participants are most likely to respond (e.g., avoid holidays or busy periods).
• Anonymity: Guarantee respondent anonymity to encourage honesty.
• Channels: Share the survey via email, social media, or your website for maximum reach.

6. Analyze the Data

• Use tools or software to identify patterns, trends, and priorities.
• Create visual representations of data (e.g., bar charts, pie charts) for better insights.
• Focus on the trade-offs made by respondents to understand their preferences or priorities.

7. Tips for Success

• Keep It Short: Limit the number of questions to maintain participant engagement.
• Group Questions Logically: Keep related questions together for a smoother flow.
• Avoid Neutral Options: Ensure all questions require a definitive choice.
• Respect Participants’ Time: Make the survey concise and quick to complete.

8. Advantages of Forced-Choice Surveys

• Clear Insights: Forced trade-offs highlight priorities and preferences.
• Eliminates Neutrality: Respondents cannot select “neutral” or “undecided” answers.
• Reduces Bias: Balanced options minimize socially desirable responses.

9. Disadvantages to Consider

• Limited Depth: Respondents cannot explain their choices.
• Restrictive Format: Some participants may find the limited options frustrating.
• Requires Careful Design: Poorly designed questions may skew results or confuse respondents.

How to Design Effective Forced-Choice Questions?

Designing effective forced-choice questions requires careful thought and attention to detail. Below are some tips to help you create compelling and impactful survey questions:

1. Be clear and concise

Craft questions that are clear, specific, and easily understood. Keep the language simple, avoiding any jargon or ambiguity that could confuse respondents.

2. Provide meaningful options

Offer response options that cover the full range of possible answers. Ensure the choices provided are relevant, mutually exclusive, and represent different viewpoints or options.

3. Balance options

Ensure that the response options are unbiased and balanced. Avoid using loaded or leading language that may influence respondents towards a particular choice.

4. Use a logical order

Arrange the response options in a logical order, such as alphabetically or by importance. If order bias is a concern, consider randomizing the options presented.

5. Avoid overlapping or redundant choices

Ensure each response option is distinct and captures a unique aspect or perspective. Avoid any overlap or duplication among the choices provided.

6. Offer “prefer not to answer” or “other” options

Include an option for your respondents who genuinely cannot or do not wish to choose from the provided options. This allows for more inclusive responses and respects your respondents’ preferences.

How to Analyze Forced-Choice Questions Results?

Congratulations on successfully learning more about forced-choice questions. It’s time to unlock the true potential of your data by analyzing it.

While tools like Excel help organize data, they lack survey-friendly charts, like the Likert Scale Chart.

Don’t worry.

There’s an exciting solution that can take your descriptive research design to a whole new level. It’s called ChartExpo.

ChartExpo is a powerful Excel add-in that will revolutionize how you analyze your forced-choice questions’ responses.

With its user-friendly interface and a wide range of consumer research survey-based charts, ChartExpo effortlessly transforms data into actionable insights.

You don’t need to be a programming genius to use ChartExpo’s features.

How to Install ChartExpo in Excel?

Let’s imagine you run an online business. You want to know whether your customers are satisfied with your brand offers.

You’ve organized a survey to gather feedback from your target customers using the sample questions below:

• Do you agree that the product meets your expectations in terms of quality?
• Do you agree that the product provides value for its price?
• Do you agree that the product is easy to use?

Let’s assume the survey responses below are what you collected from your customers.

In the coming section, we’ll use ChartExpo to demonstrate how you can leverage a Likert Scale Chart to visualize your survey data for insights.

Before we dive into this, we’ll show you how to install ChartExpo in Excel.

Do you agree that the product meets your expectations in terms of quality?	Do you agree that the product provides value for its price?	Do you agree that the product is easy to use?
Strongly Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Strongly Disagree
Neither agree nor disagree	Strongly Agree	Agree
Strongly Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Strongly Agree
Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree	Agree
Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Strongly Agree	Agree	Strongly Agree
Agree	Strongly Disagree	Agree
Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Disagree
Agree	Strongly Agree	Strongly Agree
Strongly Agree	Strongly Agree	Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree
Strongly Agree	Strongly Agree	Strongly Disagree
Neither agree nor disagree	Strongly Disagree	Disagree
Strongly Agree	Strongly Agree	Strongly Agree
Agree	Agree	Agree
Strongly Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree
Strongly Agree	Strongly Agree	Strongly Agree
Strongly Agree	Disagree	Strongly Agree
Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Disagree

To get started with ChartExpo in Excel, follow the steps below:

• Open your Microsoft Excel.
• Open the worksheet and click the Insert button to access the My Apps

• Click the Insert button to initiate the ChartExpo engine.

• Click the Search box and type “Likert Scale Chart.”

• Highlight your data and click the Create Chart From Selection button, as shown below.

• Use the multiple-choice responses you deployed in your survey to gather responses to map your Likert Scale Chart.

In our case we’ll use the following multiple-choice responses:

• Strongly Disagree=1
• Disagree=2
• Neither agree nor disagree=3
• Agree=4
• Strongly Agree=5

• Click the Create Chart button, as shown above.

• To add the chart header, click the Edit Chart
• Once the Chart Header Properties window shows, fill in your header in Line 1, as shown.

• Toggle the small button below Line 2 to the right side to activate the header.
• Click the Apply button, as shown above.

• To edit the legend properties, click the pencil-like icon on the X-axis.
• Once the Legend Properties window shows, fill in your legend below the Text
• Click the Apply All button, as shown above.
• Click the Save Changes button to preserve all the changes.
• Check out the final Likert Scale chart below.

Insights

• Out of all customers, 63% agreed about the usage of the product, while 37% did not agree. Regarding the price, 48% of customers agreed, citing its value. However, 32% did not agree, and 21% remained neutral.
• When it comes to the quality of the product, 58% of customers agreed, while 22% did not agree. Additionally, 21% of customers chose not to answer.
• Overall, 57% of customers provided positive responses, while 30% gave negative feedback. 14% of customers remained neutral.

Tips for using a forced-choice question

• Keep Options Balanced: Ensure response options are equally weighted to avoid bias, providing clear and distinct choices.
• Be Specific: Frame questions with precise wording to eliminate ambiguity and encourage accurate responses.
• Limit Choices: Use a manageable number of options, typically 2–5, to make the decision process simpler for respondents.
• Test for Clarity: Pilot test questions to ensure participants interpret them consistently and as intended.

What are the Risks of Using Forced Choice Questions in your Survey?

Forced choice questions in surveys can limit respondent flexibility, potentially leading to frustration or inaccurate answers if none of the provided options align with their true views.

These questions can also oversimplify complex opinions, reducing the depth of insights. Additionally, they may increase survey dropout rates if respondents find them too restrictive.

Forced-Choice Question FAQs

What is a forced choice example?

A forced-choice example is a survey question that presents your respondents with a set of predetermined options and requires them to choose one.

For instance, “Which social media platform do you use most frequently: A) Facebook, B) Instagram, C) Twitter, or D) LinkedIn?”

What is the forced choice method?

The forced choice method is a research technique that presents your respondents with a series of predetermined options and requires them to select one choice.

It eliminates the possibility of open-ended responses and aims to gather specific and quantifiable data for analysis and comparison.

Wrap Up

In conclusion, forced-choice questions are a powerful tool for gathering valuable data and insights. By presenting your respondents with predetermined options, these questions eliminate ambiguity and provide clear-cut responses.

Using forced-choice questions can greatly enhance your survey analysis. ChartExpo, an Excel add-in, offers a wide range of visually compelling charts, including survey-based charts like the Likert Scale Chart.

With over 50 chart options, ChartExpo simplifies the process of presenting survey data in a visually appealing and easily understandable manner. There are numerous benefits to using ChartExpo and forced-choice questions.

You can effectively communicate survey results, spot trends, and make informed decisions based on your data. With a free 7-day trial available, you can experience the power and ease of ChartExpo firsthand. After the trial period, you can continue to access its features for just $10.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to unlock the full potential of your survey data. Try ChartExpo today and see the difference it can make in transforming your survey results into meaningful and impactful visual representations.