Double-Barreled Questions: Definition, Examples, and How to Avoid Them

When you run a survey, getting clear and honest answers is crucial to getting clear insights. But sometimes, the way a question is asked can confuse respondents, leading to equally confusing feedback. Double-barreled questions are one such type of tricky question. 

In this blog post, we’ll explore: 

1. Double-barreled questions: A simple definition
2. Double-barreled question examples
3. How to avoid double-barreled questions
4. Leading, loaded and double-barreled questions: How they differ
5. How to avoid double barreled questions: Get accurate results with SurveySparrow

What is a double-barreled question?

A double-barreled question is a type of confusing question that asks two or more things at the same time. This can leave people unsure about which part to answer, leading to mixed-up survey results. 

For example: 'Do you like the new design of our website and the new features we added?' is actually asking two questions: a.) Do you like the new design? And b.) do you like the new features? This makes it hard for people to answer accurately. 

Double-barreled questions are also known as double-direct, double-ended, or compound question.

How double-barreled questions can mess up surveys

Imagine this scenario 🤔

A customer has purchased a new car and is trying to figure out all its features. They call customer support for help, and the agent clearly answers all of their questions. 

Afterward, the car owner gets a survey that goes like this:

“How would you rate the quality of the interaction with the agent and that of your car showroom experience?”

Can you see the problem here? The interaction with the agent was great, and the customer might want to give a 10 on 10. But, what if their experience at the showroom wasn’t that great? Now, they have to answer bothquestions at once with a single rating.

In short: double-barreled questions create a frustrating survey experience. They also lead to incorrect data, which makes it harder to understand how people really feel. 

Sometimes, they are used on purpose (like in courtrooms to confuse witnesses). But most of the time, it’s just poor question writing or a lack of proofreading.

With SurveySparrow's ready-to-use templates, you don't have to stress about writing the right questions. Even better, our AI survey maker will create smart, clear questions for you. 

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6 examples of double-barreled questions

Let us look at a few examples of double-barreled questions, as well as the right way to ask them. 

1. Is the software simple and exciting to use? 

Error: This question asks two things: is the software simple and exciting? This can be unclear for respondents, who may not know how to answer both parts of the question. 

For example, someone might find the software simple but unappealing, or vice versa.

Solution: A better way to ask this question would be to break it down into two separate questions:

• Is the software simple to use?
• Is the software interesting to use?

2. How happy are you with the work environment and pay?

Error: This question also asks how happy you are with the work environment and how satisfied you are with the pay. This can confuse respondents, who may not know how to answer both parts of the question. 

For example, someone might be happy with the work environment, not the pay, or vice versa.

Solution: A better way to ask this question would be to break it down into two separate questions:

• How happy are you with the work environment?
• How satisfied are you with the pay?

3. How often and how much money do you spend at the mall?

Error: This question asks three things at once: how often do you go to the mall, how much money do you spend when you go there, and how much do you spend in total? This can be unclear for respondents, who may not know how to answer all three parts of the question. 

For example, someone might go to the mall once a week but only spend a small amount of money each time, or someone might go to the mall less often but spend more money each time.

Solution: A better way to ask this question would be to break it down into three separate questions:

• How often do you go to the mall?
• How much money do you spend when you go to the mall?
• Let’s add it up: how much money do you spend at the mall?

4. Is this a helpful tool that does what you need it do?

Error: This question also asks two things: is it a helpful tool, and does it do what you need it to? This can confuse respondents, who may not know how to answer both parts of the question. 

For example, someone might find the helpful tool but not suited for their purposes, or vice versa.

Solution: A better way to ask this question would be to break it down into two separate questions:

• Is this tool useful?
• Does this tool do what you need it to do?

5. Do you support the candidate's policies and their stance on healthcare?

Error: This political survey question asks about the candidate's overall policies and their specific stance on healthcare. This can confuse respondents, who may not know how to answer both parts of the question. 

For example, someone might approve of the candidate's proposed policy yet dislike their stance on healthcare, or vice versa.

Solution: A better way to ask this question would be to break it down into two separate questions:

• Do you support the candidate's policies?
• On a scale of 1-5, rate their stance on healthcare.

6. Should the company increase amenities at the office and offer three meals for the employees?

Error: This question about both the amenities and a specific perk. However, there is no guarantee that respondents will interpret the question this way. 

For example, someone might answer “yes” to the question because they think the company should increase amenities at the office, even if they don’t believe the company should offer three meals for the employees.

Solution: To avoid this confusion, it is better to ask each question separately. In this case, the two check-in questions would be:

• Should the company increase the amenities at the office?
• Should the company offer three meals a day for the employees?

How to avoid double-barreled questions: 6 best practices

Let’s see the seven most straightforward ways to break down double-barreled questions.

1. Split the survey questions:

The easiest fix to such a question is to divide the question into two. 

Let’s take a double barreled question example: “Did you like our product and your last interaction with our customer success agent?”

If the respondents say “Yes,” what does it mean? Did they like the product? Or did they like the quality of their support? If they respond with a “No,” you will never be sure which question among the two got that answer.

You can split the question this way:

1. “Did you like our product?”
2. “Did you like your last interaction with the customer success agent?”

2. Read the question carefully:

Read the question and see if it has two or more elements but allows for only one answer. If that’s the case, you should break the question into two. 

Also, review the questions carefully with the help of a 3rd-party. A fresh pair of eyes will be able to find out more mistakes. 

A simple trick to spot double-barreled questions is to look for the word “and.” However, be careful—not all questions with “and” are bad. Just make sure the question isn’t asking about two different things at the same time.

3. Do a trial run:

Before you blast the survey to your customers, please send it to your team to check for any issues. 

Review the results from the study to see if the questions make sense. If your team finds the questions confusing, you might want to revisit them.

4. Align the questions to your survey goals:

Another way to eliminate double-barreled questions is to ask questions that align with your survey goals.

For example: “Do you prefer working from home, or are you happy working from the office?” 

To improve the question, ask yourself if you want feedback on your employee experience or if you're doing a wellness check on your WFH employees. 

5. Ask one question at a time:

Here’s a simple tip to avoid these questions - ask only one question at a time. 

SurveySparrow's conversational forms make this super simple. Check out our step-by-step guide to creating conversational forms.

6. Take the help of AI 

We get it - you're tired, your creative juices aren't flowing, or you're just short on time. 

AI survey tools can help you generate error-free questions in minutes. And the best part is, you don't have to worry about error or bias creeping in. Here's our AI survey maker in action: 

Leading, loaded and double barreled questions: How they differ

Leading questions

In leading questions the surveyor is slyly persuaded to give a particular answer. Apart from questions, the survey creator can add leading answer options - like the below:

a. Too good, b. Good, c. Perfect, d. Fantastic, e. Excellent

Here’s an example of a leading question where they have added an unnecessary adjective: “Did you enjoy our fantastic product?”

How it differs: Leading questions suggest a particular response, often using words that subtly influences the respondent.

Solution: Use neutral words and focus on the question you want the respondents to answer.

Loaded questions

Here, assumptions are made about the respondent. Based on it, they are forced to provide answers they might disagree with or that might be irrelevant to them.

Example of a loaded question: “How was your experience dealing with our competitors in the past year?”

How it differs: Loaded questions force an assumption on the respondent. The assumption here is that the respondent would have used your competitor’s services in the past year.

Solution: You can eliminate loaded questions by asking preliminary questions. Based on the answers, you can use the skip logic feature to ensure that respondents get to see questions that are relevant to them. 

In contrast, a double-barreled question doesn’t assume or influence anything. It simply combines two different topics in a way that confuses the respondent.

How to avoid double barreled questions: Get accurate results with SurveySparrow

To get accurate results, a survey needs to be targeted, engaging, and deliver the insights that can help you make the right decisions. 

Designed to automate the feedback process, SurveySparrow empowers your customer and GTM teams to conduct research and gain the insights they need to plan their next move. 

Check out what our customers have to say:

Wrapping up

Survey questions have to be written so that they are easy to understand. The respondent should be clear about what is being asked and the kind of answer that is expected of them. Double-barreled questions wreck the sanctity of the survey results by confusing the respondent. 

If you are looking for an online survey tool to get customer feedback, look no further than SurveySparrow. It has power-packed features that let you ask the right questions, is easy to analyze, and populates the results in real time. Get in touch with us to understand how we can help you.

FAQs

1. What are double-barreled questions examples?

Here is an example of such a question:

“Do you think engineers should work on writing coding scripts and help the marketing team with the product?”

The question asks two different things. It can confuse the respondents as they are unsure which one to answer. It should be divided into two other questions:

“Do you think engineers should work on writing coding scripts?”

“Do you think engineers should help the marketing team with the product?”

We have converted them into two questions, which are accessible for the respondent to answer. 

2. What is a double-barreled question and a leading question?

A double-barreled question is when you ask two questions disguised as a single one. It is misleading; even if the respondent answers, you never know which question they are addressing. 

A leading question is where the respondent is persuaded to give a particular answer that benefits the survey’s creator. The respondents will be forced to respond with answers that might not even be relevant. 

3. What is a double-barreled question in a survey?

A double-barreled question has more than two separate issues, but the respondent can choose only one answer. 

4. What is a double-barreled question Quizlet?

A problem in a survey research question wording where two ideas are discussed in the same question. The resulting response might not provide an ideal answer as the results will be skewed. 

5. How do you answer a double-barreled question?

You can answer a double-barreled question by asking follow-up questions. 

6. What is an example of a leading question?

A leading question wants the respondent to give a particular answer the survey creator desires in a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ format. 

“Did you enjoy the shoes from competitor A?” Here, the assumption is that the respondent has bought shoes from A even though they may not have any data signaling the same. They can pre-populate data by asking questions before the primary survey to avoid such a leading question. 

7. Why do we label double-barreled questions as troublesome?

They are not reliable as the questions are not appropriately structured. It can be misleading, and it confuses the respondents.