Designing Effective Survey Questions and Questionnaires: Exercise [sign-up required]

Date & Time
Jun 16, 2026 | 11.00 - 12.30

Participants
Päivi Lujala, University of Oulu (Finland)

Researchers, educators, and practitioners use surveys to collect data for analysis and to understand people’s opinions, behaviors, needs, and experiences, among other things. The quality of research and decisions based on collected material, however, depends entirely on the quality of the questions asked. This training session provides participants with tools to design surveys that produce clear, reliable data.

What the training covers

• Principles of good question design, including clarity, neutrality, and cognitive load
• Common pitfalls such as double-barreled questions, leading language, and ambiguous scales
• How to choose the right question types (open-ended, multiple choice, Likert scales, ranking, etc.)
• Structuring a questionnaire for flow, respondent engagement, and reduced bias
• Ethical considerations

Format

Part A (90 min): a lecture with examples and discussions

Part B (90 min; optional): Participants work on their own surveys, with the opportunity to discuss specific questions with the workshop leader. The theme for the survey can relate to environmental peacebuilding, but it does not have to.

PLEASE NOTE: Space in Part B (the exercise) is limited. Only those who sign up for Part A (the overview) can sign up for Part B. If you are interested in signing up for the exercise, go to Part A ("Designing Effective Survey Questions and Questionnaires: Overview") and sign up for both Parts A and B.