SAVEFORM

Surveys · Last updated May 16, 2026

Question types

Five question types cover the whole spectrum from “pick one” polls to open feedback. Each one knows how to render itself, validate itself, and chart itself — this page walks through when to reach for which, and what each looks like in your results.

Single & multiple choice

The workhorses. Single choice renders a list of options where exactly one can be picked — use it whenever the options are mutually exclusive (“Which plan are you on?”). Multiple choice lets respondents tick any number — use it for “select all that apply” questions (“Which features do you use?”).

  • Options are yours to order. The renderer shows them exactly as you arranged them in the builder — put the expected-common answers first, or randomise the order yourself before saving if you're worried about primacy bias.
  • Every option is counted independently in multiple-choice results, so percentages can legitimately sum to more than 100%.

Rating scales

A numeric scale, 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, rendered as a row of tappable values. Ratings are the fastest question to answer, which makes them ideal for pulse checks and NPS-style questions (“How likely are you to recommend us?”).

You can anchor any point of the scale with a label — e.g. 1 = “Not at all”, 5 = “Extremely”. Anchoring is standard survey-research practice: without it, one person's 4 is another person's 5, and averages drift. Label at least the two endpoints.

Email

A validated email field. Beyond collecting contact details, email questions have a second job: on one-response-per-email surveys the address is the respondent's identity — each address can answer once, checked up front and enforced by a database-level unique index.

Short text

Free text for everything the other types can't capture: “What almost stopped you from signing up?” Text answers are deliberately kept out of the charts — they are counted in the aggregate view and read verbatim in the Responses tab, and they never appear in public results.

Descriptions & images

Every question (and the welcome screen) can carry a description — supporting copy under the title — and one or more images. A single image renders full-width; multiple images lay out in a responsive grid. Use them to show the thing you're asking about: a screenshot to rate, two design options to choose between, the event poster above an RSVP.

Required questions

Mark a question required and the page's Next button stays gated until it's answered — respondents can't skip past. Required-ness is per question, so a page can mix must-answer ratings with optional open text. Keep required questions to the ones you genuinely can't analyse without.

How each type charts

TypeIn your results
Single choiceBar chart — one bar per option, percentages of all responses.
Multiple choiceBar chart — each option counted independently (sums can exceed 100%).
RatingDistribution column chart with the average displayed alongside.
EmailCounted only; addresses are listed per response, never charted.
Short textCounted only; read verbatim in the Responses tab. Excluded from public results.

Every chart exports to PNG or SVG from its own menu, and the raw responses export as CSV — see results & responses in the overview.

Survey question types | SaveForm.io