Not everything you add to a survey needs to collect an answer.
Sometimes respondents simply need information at the right point in the survey, such as instructions before a new section, context for the questions that follow, or visual content they need to review before continuing.
When using Porsline's online survey builder, add a Statement when you need to present this information without asking respondents to submit an answer or creating response data.
When should you use a Statement?
Think of a Statement as a way to give respondents context before they continue.
For example, an employee experience survey might introduce a management section with:
The next questions are about your experience working with your direct manager during the past six months.
The Description could add:
Please answer based only on your own experience during this period.
This makes it clear which experience respondents should have in mind when answering the questions that follow.
A Statement can also be useful:
- Before an assessment.
- Between sections of a research questionnaire.
- Before respondents evaluate a product, service, or concept.
- When respondents need instructions before continuing.
How to add a Statement to your survey
Open the survey from My Surveys and go to the Create phase.
Select Statement from the available question and content types, then click it to add the Statement or drag and drop it into the required position.
Placement matters. If the Statement introduces a particular section, place it immediately before the first question in that section so respondents receive the information when they need it.
How to write the Statement and Description
Enter the main message in the field that displays:
Type your statement here...
Focus on what respondents need to understand rather than using a generic heading.
For example, instead of:
Important information
you could write:
When answering the next questions, think about your most recent interaction with our customer support team.
Use Description when the main message needs additional detail.
For example:
Statement:
Support experience
Description:
Answer the following questions based on your most recent support interaction rather than your overall experience with the company.
The Statement communicates the main idea, while Description provides the supporting instruction.
Use previous answers and Custom Variables
Type @ in either the Statement or Description to insert an answer from a previous question or a Custom Variable.
For example, if employees selected their department near the beginning of the survey, a later Statement could say:
The next questions are about your experience in [Department].
This creates a clearer transition into the next section.
There is no need to make every Statement dynamic. Use previous answers or Custom Variables only when they make the information clearer or more relevant.
How to add an image or video
A Statement can include visual content when text alone is not enough.
Enable Image or Video.
Add an image
Select Image, click Choose, and select the file from your device.
Images can be JPG, PNG, or GIF and must be no larger than 2 MB.
Visual content can be useful when respondents need to:
- Review a product concept before evaluating it.
- Read a diagram before answering related questions.
- Follow visual instructions.
- Examine material used in a research or feedback study.
Add a video
Select Video, then enter the relevant video link in the field provided.
How to adjust the image layout on mobile and desktop
When you add an image, use Layout to control how it appears separately on Mobile and Desktop.
Review both layouts when the image contains information respondents need to understand. A layout that works well on a large screen may need adjustment for mobile devices.
How to choose the right button Label
The default button text is Next, and you can change it using the Label field.
In most cases, Next is sufficient. Change it only when a more specific label makes the next action clearer.
For example:
After assessment instructions:
Start assessment
Before an evaluation section:
Start evaluation
Before choosing sessions in an event form:
Choose sessions
Use the button Label when respondents benefit from knowing exactly what will happen next.
Does a Statement appear in Results?
A Statement does not collect a response.
This means no answer is recorded for it in the Results Table, and it does not generate a chart in the analytics section.
Use a question type when you need respondents to provide information. Use a Statement when you need to explain, introduce, or guide respondents before the next part of the survey.
For an overview of the available question formats, review the Guide to Question Types in Porsline Forms, Surveys, and Quizzes.
For a broader walkthrough of creating surveys and working with different question types, explore the Porsline video tutorials.
If you need additional help, contact the Porsline team at [email protected].