Ranking questions: Tips, types & 35+ examples to use

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Ranking questions are a powerful tool in survey research that allows researchers to gather valuable insights into individuals' preferences, priorities, and perceptions. Creating unique ranking questions will help you discover insightful information and make informed decisions.

Ranking questions offer several advantages in survey research. These questions offer simplicity for the survey results. In this article, we'll provide 35 sample questions to help you create your amazing surveys and better evaluate the survey results.

What is a ranking question?

A ranking question is a question designed to compare several things to one another by ranking them according to how they perform at various criteria. In surveys, the survey taker is given a list of items to rank in accordance with their knowledge or preferences in the ranking question.

Types of ranking questions

When it comes to ranking questions, there are various types that researchers can employ to gather nuanced and meaningful data. Each type brings its own unique advantages and considerations. In this section, we will explore the different types of ranking questions.

Selection matrix

The selection matrix question is a particular kind of survey question that allows respondents to compare items from a set of rows and columns in a matrix or grid style. In a selection matrix question, each row represents a specific item, option, or attribute.

A Selection matrix question sample

Opinion scale

An opinion scale question type refers to a specific type of survey question that aims to measure individuals' opinions or attitudes on a particular topic using a scale. This question type provides respondents with a range of response options on a scale, allowing them to express their level of agreement, satisfaction, preference, or other subjective evaluations.

An opinion scale question sample

Star rating

In a star rating question, respondents are presented with the star symbols, and they are asked to select the number of stars that best represents their rating or evaluation. The number of stars chosen by the respondents reflects their level of satisfaction, quality, or preference regarding the subject of the question.

A Star rating question sample

35+ ranking question examples to use in your online surveys and forms

Having a wide range of ranking question examples at your disposal can significantly improve the quality of your online surveys and forms, whether you're performing market research, looking for customer input, or weighing different possibilities. In this article, we provide a thorough collection of more than 35 examples of ranking questions that you may use to get ideas for and personalize your surveys.

Ranking questions for general surveys

Ranking questions offer a versatile and efficient approach to comprehensively capturing and interpreting data. This section will provide you with practical tips and present an array of unique examples tailored for general surveys.

1. On a scale between 1-10, please rate your agreement with the following statement: “The user interface of our website is user-friendly”. (Opinion scale)

2. How satisfied are you with the quality of the product you purchased? (Star rating)

3. Could you please specify the least appealing factor for the restaurants in the matrix below? (Selection matrix)

Restaurant X (Quality of food, price, cuisine variety, location)

Restaurant Y (Quality of food, price, cuisine variety, location)

Restaurant Z (Quality of food, price, cuisine variety, location)

4. How satisfied are you with the delivery speed of your order? (Star rating)

5. On a scale between 1-10, how satisfied are you with the level of transparency in our communication? (Opinion scale)

6. How would you rate the level of reliability of our product features? (Star rating)

Ranking questions for market research

In this era of evolving consumer demands and fierce competition, market research is a critical tool for understanding customer preferences. Also, ranking questions play an outstanding role in effective and impactful surveys for market research.

7. How would you rate the accuracy and reliability of our product/service on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? (Star rating)

8. How important is the environmental sustainability of our product/service to you? (Opinion scale)

9. How satisfied are you with the packaging of our products? Please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. (Star rating)

10. On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you be to switch to our brand? (Opinion scale)

11. How willing would you be to pay a higher price for our product if it had a limited edition version with unique features? (Opinion scale)

12. Can you compare the products in the matrix below for sustainability and innovation and indicate in which sense they are superior? (Selection matrix)

Product 1 (Innovation, sustainability)

Product 2 (Innovation, sustainability)

Product 3 (Innovation, sustainability)

Ranking questions for SaaS surveys

A SaaS survey, or Software-as-a-Service survey, is a type of survey conducted specifically for companies that provide software applications through a subscription model. Ranking questions allow SaaS businesses to uncover the most important elements that drive user satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty.

13. How satisfied are you with the frequency and quality of software updates and new feature releases?(Star rating)

14. Would it be useful if our product had an integrated AI assistant? (Opinion scale)

15. Could you please rate your level of excitement if our SaaS solution offered a virtual reality (VR) experience for data visualization and analysis? (Star rating)

16. What is your level of satisfaction regarding our SaaS product? Please rate each of the comments in the matrix below. (Selection matrix)

This product is very successful in terms of security measures. (Agree, neutral, disagree)

We were able to integrate this product into our existing systems and workflows very easily. (Agree, neutral, disagree)

This product helped us to improve our company’s productivity. (Agree, neutral, disagree)

17. How satisfied are you with the overall user interface? (Star rating)

18. How “intuitive” do you find our application? (Star rating)

Ranking questions for employees

We recognize that employees are the heart and soul of any organization. Ranking questions can be a valuable tool for employers when gathering feedback from their employees. These questions allow employers to measure the relative importance or preferences.

19. How well does the employer exhibit leadership qualities? (Star rating)

20. On a scale of 1-10, to what extent does the employer contribute to an inclusive work environment? (Opinion scale)

21. Could you please express your evaluations regarding the issues specified below in terms of our company? (Selection matrix)

Work environment (Poor, average, pleasant, excellent)

Company ethics (Poor, average, pleasant, excellent)

Managers’ behavior (Poor, average, pleasant, excellent)

Social events (Poor, average, pleasant, excellent)

22. On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with the overall work culture? (Opinion scale)

23. How would you rate the company's support for employee wellness? (Star rating)

24. On a scale between 1-10, how well do you feel the company values and recognizes employee contributions? (Opinion scale)

Ranking questions for teachers

By ranking various aspects of the teaching profession, we can gain a deeper understanding. Ranking questions for teachers are instrumental in shaping the discourse around teaching practices.

25. How well do the students create a positive and inclusive classroom environment? (Star rating)

26. How well do your “teacher dance moves” command attention? (Star rating)

27. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your “teacher radar” in detecting student-related issues? (Opinion scale)

28. Could you please rate your class in terms of the following aspects? (Selection matrix)

Class participation (Novice, intermediate, proficient, advanced)

Compliance of class rules (Novice, intermediate, proficient, advanced)

Relationships with classmates (Novice, intermediate, proficient, advanced)

29. On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely would you be to incorporate mindfulness and meditation practices into your daily classroom routine? (Opinion scale)

30. How would you rate your interest in participating in a teacher exchange program? (Star rating)

Fun ranking questions

Get ready for a delightful and lighthearted section of our survey: fun ranking questions! As forms.app team, we believe that research doesn't have to be all serious business. These fun questions provide us with valuable insights while adding a dash of enjoyment to the survey experience.

31. How would you rate the beer's “drinkability” or how easily you can consume it? (Star rating)

💡Tip: You can use the beer symbol in forms.app for this question.

32. Could you please specify the best distinctive feature of the movies in the matrix below? (Selection matrix)

Movie A (Entertaining, funny, engaging, thrilling)

Movie B (Entertaining, funny, engaging, thrilling)

Movie C (Entertaining, funny, engaging, thrilling)

33. On a scale of “Meh” (1) to “Mind-Blowing” (10), how would you rate the awesomeness of a superhero with the power to control people? (Opinion scale)

34. How funny do you find dad jokes? (Star rating)

35. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you love ice cream? (Opinion scale)

36. On a scale of “Oh, no” (1) to “Yey!” (10), how likely are you to try extreme sports? (Opinion scale)

How to ask a ranking question on a survey (Tips)

When asking a ranking question on a survey, it's important to structure it effectively. You can ensure clarity and gather valuable insights from your survey respondents by this way. We have compiled important tips for you below:

Use various question types (selection matrix, opinion scale, star rating): You can use different question types to gather diverse insights from respondents.

Benefit from AI feature: forms.app’s AI-based assistant allows users to create online forms without any coding or design skills easily. You can easily create full surveys by providing some details or generating answer options for survey questions. For now, only these two functions are available, but new features are already on their way.

For selection matrix questions

Limited selection options: Consider setting a maximum number of items that respondents can select within each category of the matrix.

Short wording of the items: Short and concise wording helps participants quickly grasp the intended meaning of each item in the matrix. It reduces the chances of confusion or misinterpretation, leading to more accurate responses.

For opinion scale questions

Balanced scales: Equal numbers of alternatives on the opinion scale for both positive and negative responses should be included. This ensures that respondents can express a variety of perspectives and reduces response bias.

For star rating questions

Different icons instead of stars: In star rating, you can use not only stars as symbols. It is entirely up to you to change these stars to other shapes such as hearts, smiley, and beer.

Star rating questions with different icons

Conclusion

Ranking questions play a valuable role in survey research. forms.app, our AI feature-included website, is the ultimate solution for survey creation. The versatility of ranking questions, coupled with the ease of use of forms.app allows researchers to create intelligent surveys. Try our form builder today and take your surveys one step further!

Ayşegül Nacu

Ayşegül is a content write and a full-time translation project manager. She specializes in survey questions and types, and enjoys scrapbooking, reading, and traveling.