Key Points
- A questionnaire is the list of questions you ask. A survey encompasses the entire process, including study design, participant selection, data collection, and analysis.
- Use a questionnaire to collect consistent responses. Choose a survey for a comprehensive research process that provides reliable, data-driven insights.
- Surveys go beyond asking questions: They add sampling, data quality controls, weighting, and analysis to produce decision-ready insights.
- Selecting the right approach reduces bias, enables easier comparison over time, and ensures your data supports business decisions.
Definitions
What is a questionnaire?
A questionnaire is a structured list of questions used to gather information. It may include multiple-choice, rating, and open-ended items for detailed feedback.
Read more about questionnaires in our blog post, What Is a Questionnaire? Definition, Types, and Examples.
What is a survey?
A survey is a broader process that often includes a questionnaire, along with steps such as:
- Study design and objectives
- Sampling and recruitment of the right audience
- Fieldwork/data collection methods
- Data quality checks and fraud prevention
- Weighting, analysis, and reporting of findings
Survey vs. Questionnaire: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Aspect | Questionnaire | Survey |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | The instrument (question list) | The complete research workflow |
| Scope | Questions, wording, order, response options | Objectives, sampling, fielding, data quality, weighting, analysis, reporting |
| Typical outputs | Raw responses, verbatims, basic tallies | Insights, significance testing, benchmarks, recommendations |
| Use cases | Feedback forms, intake, screeners, satisfaction check-ins | Market sizing, brand tracking, segmentation, campaign evaluation |
| Rigor | Can be simple or rigorous | Must be methodologically rigorous to support decisions |
When to Use a Questionnaire vs. a Survey
Questionnaires are best for:
- Customer intake or lead capture (contact details, needs)
- Quick check-ins (post-event feedback, session ratings)
- Employee pulse questions to surface themes for later deep dives
- Screeners (to qualify the right participants for a study)
Surveys are best for:
- Brand tracking (awareness, favorability, consideration over time)
- Concept/creative testing with robust sampling and statistical reads
- Customer experience measurement across touchpoints (CSAT, NPS, CES)
- Market sizing and segmentation requiring inference to a population
- Campaign measurement / brand lift with exposed vs. control design.
What Makes a Good Survey?
- A sampling plan aligned to the target population (with quotas/stratification as needed).
- Fraud prevention and quality controls (speeders, straight-liners, red herrings, geo/IP checks).
- Weighting to correct imbalances and enable projection.
- An analysis plan (significance testing, segment cuts, trend reads) tied to business decisions.
- Documentation of methods for transparency and repeatability.
What Makes a Good Questionnaire?
Designing clear, unbiased questionnaires is essential to collecting reliable data. For a deeper look at questionnaire best practices, read our full guide, What Is a Questionnaire? Definition, Types, and Examples.
Handling Sensitive Survey Questions
Sensitive questions, such as those involving demographics, health, or personal experiences, require extra care. To protect data quality and respondent trust, apply ethical design, neutral wording, and strong privacy measures.
The Bottom Line
Use questionnaires to collect responses consistently. Use surveys to transform those responses into actionable insights through careful planning and analysis. Both are essential for effective research. Questionnaires provide the building blocks, while surveys assemble them into a comprehensive picture. Using both enables you to uncover actionable insights.
FAQs
Is a questionnaire a survey?
Not by itself. A questionnaire can exist outside a full survey (e.g., a feedback form). It becomes part of a survey when it’s embedded in a designed study with sampling and analysis.
Can a survey be a questionnaire?
Not exactly. A survey may include one or more questionnaires, but it also involves broader research steps such as sampling, data collection, quality control, and analysis. The questionnaire is the tool; the survey is the process.
Can I run a questionnaire without doing a full survey?
Yes. By themselves, questionnaires are useful for operational feedback, intake, screeners, or exploratory qualitative prompts. If you need to generalize to a market or track KPIs, run a survey.
How do I decide which to use?
- If you just need structured input, use a questionnaire.
- If you need representative, statistically credible findings, field a survey.
What are examples of surveys vs. questionnaires?
- Questionnaire: Event feedback form; candidate application questions; product usage check-in.
- Survey: National brand tracker; multi-market concept test; customer journey study with quotas and weights.
Do surveys always include qualitative data?
Surveys often include open-ended questions for qualitative nuance, but many are primarily quantitative. Mixed-method designs can blend both.