SurveyMonkey is a cloud-based survey creation and data collection platform that enables individuals and organizations to design, distribute, and analyze surveys online. Founded in 1999, it has become one of the most widely used tools for gathering feedback, conducting market research, and measuring customer satisfaction. The platform's strength lies in its ability to transform complex survey logic into an intuitive interface — allowing users to create sophisticated, branching questionnaires without writing code — and its rapidly expanding AI Analysis Suite that automates theme identification, sentiment classification, and chat-based data interrogation. A critical distinction to understand: while SurveyMonkey makes survey creation accessible, the quality of insights depends entirely on well-crafted questions and appropriate analysis methods; the tool amplifies both good and poor survey design equally.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 17 focused tables and 139 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Question Types
SurveyMonkey offers 20+ distinct question types spanning closed-ended, open-ended, visual, and specialist research formats. Choosing the right type for each objective — not just the most familiar — is the single biggest lever on data quality and respondent experience.
| Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
Which platform do you use most?○ Facebook○ Instagram○ LinkedIn | • Single-answer question where respondents select one option from a predefined list • supports image choices and an "Other" write-in entry | |
Which platforms do you use? (Select all)☑ Facebook ☑ Instagram☐ LinkedIn ☑ TikTok | • Multi-select variant — respondents can choose any number of answers • supports min/max selection limits and "Other" text entry | |
Rate each feature (1–5):Speed [1][2][3][4][5]Quality [1][2][3][4][5] | • Grid where multiple items are evaluated using the same column choices • supports Likert scales, weighted scores, and single or multiple answers per row | |
How likely are you to recommend us?0 (Not likely) ... 10 (Very likely) | Specialized 0–10 scale that automatically calculates NPS by categorizing respondents as Promoters (9–10), Passives (7–8), or Detractors (0–6). | |
What is your job title?[________________] | • Short open-ended field • can be validated for email, number, URL, or date format to enforce data quality | |
Please explain your rating:[____________________][____________________] | • Multi-line text field for detailed qualitative feedback • ideal for capturing explanations and suggestions | |
Select your country:[▼ United States____] | Space-saving single-select list — best for long option sets like countries or states where a radio list would overwhelm the page. | |
Rank these priorities (drag or dropdown):1. _____ 2. _____ | • Forces respondents to order items by preference • useful for understanding relative importance among options | |
How satisfied are you? [━━●━━━] 75% | • Drag-control along a continuous numeric range • can display numeric values or custom labels at each end | |
Rate this experience: ★★★★☆ | • Visual scale using stars, hearts, thumbs, or smilies • mobile-friendly and intuitive for quick evaluations |