{"id":4260,"date":"2023-03-30T19:33:33","date_gmt":"2023-03-30T19:33:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/porsline.com\/blog\/?p=4260"},"modified":"2023-03-30T19:59:49","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T19:59:49","slug":"demographic-information-what-to-ask-why-ask-how-to-ask","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/porsline.com\/en\/blog\/demographic-information-what-to-ask-why-ask-how-to-ask\/","title":{"rendered":"Demographic Information: What to ask? Why ask? How to ask?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Hello dear reader! Please tell me if you are male or female. Are you an employee or an employer? How much is your income?”<\/p>\n

No one likes being asked personal questions by a stranger at the beginning of a conversation. We are not the ones saying this! It is world-famous reports and negotiation scholars who say it, and of course there has been fierce debate on this topic all over the world.<\/p>\n

In this post, we want to answer this question: \u201cIs the place for demographic questions at the beginning or the end of the survey?\u201d<\/p>\n

Demographic questions are questions that examine the characteristics of populations and societies.<\/p>\n

In this post, in addition to explaining in detail the concept of demographic information and its applications<\/strong> in customer and market research, we refer to some of the most used sample questions in designing online surveys <\/strong>and some golden tips for designing demographic surveys for customers.<\/p>\n

What is demographic information?<\/h2>\n

Demographic information or demographic characteristics refer to the characteristics of a population such as age, gender, race, nationality, place of residence, marital status, employment status, income<\/strong>, and such.<\/p>\n

In addition, there are other topics that can be included in demographic information such as people\u2019s political\/religious beliefs, the role of individuals in the family, the purchasing behavior of the population, the presence or absence on social media, and even being a homeowner or renter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In fact, any data that helps to better understand people and classify them can be studied as demographic information of that population. Therefore, it is very important that you define your goal in collecting demographic information and also determine which part of the population is the target market.<\/p>\n

Collecting demographic information is one of the best ways to understand and recognize different groups, including target markets. With this information, you understand the identity, needs, desires, and concerns of different people or groups. Based on that, you can easily analyze the events or determine your next actions.<\/p>\n

What are the uses of the demographic information survey?<\/h2>\n

Demographic information has a wide range of applications ranging from scientific and academic research to market and marketing research<\/a>. These applications aim to assess the accuracy of research results, segment target groups, and plan business development.<\/p>\n

Recognition and segmentation of target groups<\/h3>\n

By creating a demographic survey, you can segment the target market<\/a> and then deliver a specific message to each group of the market.<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether demographic information or demographic questions are related to age, education, income, and employment status, they are all looking for features that can divide a large group of market or customers into smaller groups and segments.<\/p>\n

If the target audience for your demographic survey is companies or organizations, then the demographic information is transformed into firmographic information. In this case, your questions examine the characteristics of organizations. For example, elements such as the size of the organization, its financial flow, the human resources of the organization, and the organization’s managers and their characteristics are analyzed.<\/p>\n

Market and marketing research<\/h3>\n

From a marketing point of view, the better and more accurate it is possible to identify the target group and the final audience, the more likely it is to attract customers by sending the right marketing messages. This is because every market research survey<\/a> or customer survey<\/a> form contains demographic questions.<\/p>\n

Answering demographic questions is useful in product\/service development, measuring satisfaction with service quality, determining product pricing, and understanding customer opinions and needs according to their demographic characteristics.<\/p>\n

For example, the fact that most of the population in your target market are single men and women with high incomes can influence the development and pricing of your product, because, in this case, you know that the purchasing power of your customers is high, you also know their needs and find out better ways to meet them. Now based on this knowledge, your advertising, content production, and marketing actions will become more effective and target-focused.<\/p>\n

Professional, scientific, and academic research<\/h3>\n

The demographic survey has many functions in university researches. By identifying the demographic information of the participants, researchers will have a clear idea of the participants and their motivations. Furthermore, the scope of the research is limited to a special population, so the results will be more reliable and their analysis will be more accurate.<\/p>\n

Should we place the demographic questions at the beginning or at the end of the online survey?<\/h2>\n

Since demographic questions are often asked as part of online surveys, where in the survey or when and how they are asked is often ambiguous.<\/p>\n

In general, businesses face two situations<\/strong> regarding the objectives of their online form and survey:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. When the survey is designed and implemented only for the purpose of collecting demographic information.<\/li>\n
  2. When the demographic questions are part of the survey questions while the main purpose of the research is to answer a totally different question.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In the first case, after explaining the purpose of the survey in detail, you can ask your questions. But in the second one, you should pay attention to various points to choose the time and place of asking these questions.<\/p>\n

    Some experts believe that demographic questions should be asked at the beginning of the survey, some believe that they should be asked at the end, and others say that the most important demographic questions should be asked at the beginning of the survey while demographic questions of lower importance should be asked at the end. Therefore, in brief, \u201cthere is no definite and correct answer to this question, and where to place these questions depends on your goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

    In fact, where to place demographic questions is related to various factors. Examples of these factors include the following: Do all questions on the survey ask personal and sensitive information? To what extent are the respondents confident of securing the confidentiality of their information? What is the relationship between demographic questions and other survey questions? How many questions do you have? What does motivate the respondent to answer your survey and demographic questions?<\/p>\n

    Based on these factors, you should decide whether to place demographic questions at the beginning or the end of the survey or even split them according to their importance so that they are appropriate for your ultimate goals. Moreover, you should know which place can provide you with a higher response rate and more accurate data.<\/p>\n

    In general, the purpose of your survey, the type of communication you have with the respondents, and the clarity and manner of asking the questions have a great effect on your choice.<\/p>\n

    From a psychological point of view, at the beginning of the survey, people tend to be suspicious when answering the questions. In addition, many people are willing to talk about their marital status or income only after establishing a relationship. Therefore, postponing the demographic questions to the end of the survey is a better approach.<\/p>\n

    In any case, our advice is that whether you ask demographic questions at the beginning or at the end, be sure to inform your audience of your reason for requesting such information and clearly explain in what context this information will be used.<\/p>\n

    What are the best demographic questions?<\/h2>\n

    Depending on the goals of your survey, choose the best demographic questions to answer your business needs. Since these questions are more sensitive and private in nature, asking all questions may decrease your survey response rate. Therefore, it is better to choose some of the best and most relevant questions and use them in your survey.<\/p>\n

    Age<\/strong><\/p>\n

    What is your age?<\/p>\n

    17 years or less\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 18 to 20 years\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 21 to 30 years<\/p>\n

    31 to 40 years\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 41 to 50 years \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 51 to 60 years \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 61 years or more<\/p>\n

    Gender<\/strong><\/p>\n

    What gender do you identify as?<\/p>\n

    I am a lady \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I am a gentleman\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I prefer not to say.<\/p>\n

    Education<\/strong><\/p>\n

    What is the highest degree or level of education you have completed?<\/p>\n

    Elementary\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Diploma \u00a0 \u00a0 Associate\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Bachelor\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Master\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Doctorate and above<\/p>\n

    Employment<\/strong><\/p>\n

    What is your current employment status?<\/p>\n

    I am unemployed and looking for work \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I am studying \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I work full time<\/p>\n

    I work part time \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I am a freelancer \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I am retired \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Other<\/p>\n

    Income<\/strong><\/p>\n

    What is your approximate monthly income?<\/p>\n

    $1,000 to $4,999 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 $5,000 to 8,499<\/p>\n

    $8,500 to $10,999\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 $11,000 or more<\/p>\n

    Marital status<\/strong><\/p>\n

    What is your marital status?<\/p>\n

    I am single\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I am married\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I am divorced \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 My wife\/husband is dead<\/p>\n

    Online behavior<\/strong><\/p>\n

    On which of the social media networks are you most active?<\/p>\n

    Instagram\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Twitter \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 LinkedIn<\/p>\n

    Facebook \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 YouTube \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Others<\/p>\n

    On a given day, how long do you spend on your favorite social network?<\/p>\n

    Less than an hour \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Between 1 and 2 hours \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Between 2 and 3 hours<\/p>\n

    Between 3 and 4 hours\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 More than 4 hours<\/p>\n

    Which method do you use most to buy the product you need?<\/p>\n

    I only buy in person from the market \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I only buy online<\/p>\n

    Sometimes I buy online and sometimes in-store.<\/p>\n

    Some important tips for designing demographic questions in online surveys<\/h2>\n