The Importance of Demographic Questions
Most surveys won’t be complete without a question or two asking our age, gender or location. It’s almost impossible to look for a survey that does not have any of these questions. They are called demographic questions and they are an absolute essential when it comes to customer surveys. Demographic questions allow you to know who your target market really is and what they are really thinking of. By including demographic questions in your survey, you are able to save yourself and your business loads of money simply because you took the time to include these simple questions.
Gender
If there is one question you will see in almost all surveys it is gender or sex. Believe it or not, a person’s gender can have a huge effect on their way of thinking, thus majorly affecting the result of the survey. Men have a stronger left hemisphere while women can balance both hemispheres. This is the reason why women tend to be more aware of their emotions versus men, while males tend to think from an objective, task oriented point.
Age
Another common question among surveys is age. In other aspects of life it may not but when it comes to surveys, age can make a difference. Say for example the question is about films. A teenager is more likely to answer a film released in the last two to three years while a senior citizen is more likely to answer a film anywhere from 20 to 30 years ago. Here’s a tip: don’t just ask your respondents in what age group they belong to. Allow them to enter the numeric value of their age or allow them to enter their birth year. This way you are able to really compare and contrast the age difference between your respondents. If you aren’t exactly pleased with this idea, then go for the alternative age group. For example, 18-24 year old, 25-33 etc.
Marital Status
It is often said that mothers often put their children ahead of themselves. Now put this thinking into a survey and compare it to a single woman. Yes, the marital status can affect the way a person answers a survey. If you ask a single woman about her priorities, her answers are highly likely to circulate around herself and her parents. If you ask a married woman what her priorities are, her answers are likely to be about her children, husband and home.
Employment Status
Asking a person’s yearly income is a highly sensitive question to the point that some people even think of it as an invasive one. This is why it is better to ask your respondents their employment status than what they earn annually. Notice the answers of the employed versus the unemployed. When it comes to financial questions, there is a vast difference in their responses as an unemployed may have a different view as compared to the employed. You may also want to include a question asking in what industry they are working in as this may help when it comes to knowing which business sector you are targeting.
The goal of the survey is to obtain the perspective of your consumers. Be prepared to be surprised by the answers of your respondents as some of their answers may not be what you expected. The important thing is you are able to gather information and process it to be used for the growth of your business.
