Open vs. Closed Questions

Here’s an example of a “great” question: “We need you to take our survey. Is that okay?” Possible responses: “Yes, it’s okay,” or “No, it’s okay.”

See the issue? That’s the charm (and limitation) of closed questions—they already contain the possible responses. In contrast, open questions give people full freedom to respond however they want, in their own words.

We could stop there, but in reality, the difference between open and closed questions goes deeper—especially when it comes to how truthful people are in their responses (why respondents sometimes distort their answers). So let’s take a closer look.

What Are Closed Questions?

Closed questions give a limited set of predefined responses—usually “yes” or “no,” or multiple-choice options.

• Were you born in the year 2000?
• Do you think surveys are useful for business?
• How often do you shop at your local grocery store? (Every day / About once a week / A couple of times a month or less / Never)

Closed questions are common in tools like CSI surveys, NPS, and eNPS feedback.

Examples of poorly designed closed questions:

• When was the last time you went to the sea? (Responses: One year ago / Two years ago / Three or more years ago — but no option for “Never”)
• When did you last drive a car? (Responses: Today / Within the past week / Over a week ago — again, no “Never” option)

What Are Open Questions?

Open questions don’t offer ready-made responses. The respondent has to come up with their own answer. No yes/no shortcuts here.

• How did you spend your day today?
• Why should businesses use surveys for market research?
• What kind of products do you usually buy at the supermarket?
• What’s your opinion of our brand?
• Which perfume brands do you use?

You’ll also find open questions in follow-up sections of NPS surveys, where people explain the score they gave.

One neat thing about open questions is that it’s almost impossible to ask them “wrong”—if a question is illogical or unclear, the respondent can call it out in their response.

That said, they can feel accusatory or awkward in tone. Some examples:

• When are you planning to stop being late to work?
• Why did you borrow your colleague’s tools without telling them?
• Why are all the managers at Company X incompetent?
• What kind of delay (and penalties) do you expect on this project?
• Your colleagues say your work isn’t great. Want to respond?

Open questions like these can stir up tension or even offend people.

Open vs. Closed: Key Differences

On the surface, it’s simple: closed questions = choose from pre-set responses; open questions = think and formulate your own.

But here’s where issues arise:

• If a closed question doesn't include a suitable response, people might skip it or respond inaccurately.
• If an open question is too vague, you won’t get useful responses. Be clear, and make sure the question doesn't conflict with someone’s personal values or ethics.
• Open questions require more time and effort, which lowers the chance of receiving thoughtful, honest responses.

So... which type should you use?

You’ll often hear: combine both types to get the best results. That’s partly true. But remember: the form of the question can influence how honest and thoughtful the responses are.

One funny but telling example: studies on pseudo-opinions show that people will often give an opinion on a fake topic, just to fit in socially. Around 20–40% of respondents do this, especially when guided by context clues in the question.

Some studies comparing surveys with open and closed questions found that the differences in results could reach 10% or more.

In short, the way you phrase a question and the level of freedom you give in responses can significantly affect your data).

When to Use Closed Questions

• Speeding up response collection and standardizing results
• Collecting statistical data or percentages
• Confirming ideas or assumptions
• Scoring and structured evaluations
• Quick knowledge checks
• Higher accuracy and easier analytics

Closed questions are perfect for quantitative research, but they won’t help you discover new insights or start real dialogue.

Closed Questions in Sales

• Encouraging action: “Ready to try?” with a single “Yes” button
• Segmenting users: responses group people by preferences
• Identifying buyer triggers: “What matters most—price, quality, features?”
• Ending tense interactions: “Did we resolve your issue?” followed by a feedback request
• Clarifying needs: “Just to confirm—you’re looking for a phone with more storage?”

When to Use Open Questions

• Identifying problems or bottlenecks
• Gathering feedback and reviews
• Defining product evaluation criteria
• Conducting competitor and market research
• Checking employee emotional state and burnout
• Generating future closed question options
• Collecting diverse opinions
• Diving into reasons behind specific views

Downsides? Open responses are hard to process, since people say the same thing in wildly different ways. And because open responses take more effort, people tend to fall back on clichés or write very little.

Open Questions in Sales

• Building rapport: “Can I help you?”, “Looking for anything specific?”
• Handling objections: “What’s your budget?”, “What features do you care about most?”
• Collecting feedback: “What could we improve?”, “What didn’t go well?”
• Uncovering buyer needs: “What influenced your purchase?”, “What did you like or dislike?”
• Marketing research: “What brands do you use?”, “Where do you plan to travel this summer?”, “How did you hear about us?”

Final Thoughts

So which is better—open or closed questions?

It depends on your goal.

• Want rich insights and creative responses? Go open.
• Need numbers, confirmation, or structure? Go closed.

Still unsure? Use hybrid questions: offer predefined options and add an “Other” field so people can write their own response.

Whatever the case, you can build powerful online surveys using SurveyNinja. We offer ready-made templates, secure data handling, a visual editor, powerful integrations, API access, and even a free plan to test things out.