Benefits of Demographic Questions in Surveys
Demographic questions help your business develop accurate buyer personas. Buyer personas influence your marketing campaigns, sales tactics, and how you provide customer service. The more accurate your personas are, the better you’ll understand your customers’ needs and values.
When it comes to customer service, agents use buyer personas to assist with customer interactions. Frontline reps may not know each individual customer, but with buyer personas, they’ll have a basic understanding of the type of people they’re interacting with. This helps them create positive customer experiences because they’re familiar with the user’s short- and long-term goals.
Now that we understand the importance of demographic survey questions, let’s dive into a few examples you can use with your feedback collection tools. First, we’ll start with the most standard questions you should include in any customer survey.
Standard Demographic Questions – Example 1
- Gender
- Age
- Ethnicity
- Location
- Education
- Marital Status
1. Gender
One of the most fundamental questions you should ask is about gender. However, even though this is a standard demographic question, how you approach it is extremely important. Gender is a complicated and sensitive topic and how you phrase this question can impact your participants in different ways. While this information is valuable, it shouldn’t come at the expense of your customers’ comfort.
When phrasing this question, be sure to use the word, “gender” in place of the word, “sex.” Gender is based more in perspective, giving the participant more flexibility when answering. Additionally, you should always include an option to “prefer not to answer.” This will ensure participants don’t feel forced to concede sensitive information.
Example: “What gender do you identify as?”A. Male
B. Female
C. ________ (Short Answer Space)
D. Prefer not to answer.
2. Age
Age is a standard demographic question that should be included in every survey. You’ll want to know how old the participant is and whether they fit your target audience or not. The best way to ask this question is with a multiple-choice format that uses age ranges for each answer. Some customers may not feel comfortable revealing their exact age, so this structure allows them to participate while still protecting their personal information.
Example: “What is your age?”A. 0 – 15 years old
B. 15 – 30 years old
C. 30 – 45 years old
D. 45+
E. Prefer not to answer
3. Ethnicity
Ethnicity questions paint a clearer picture of your survey participants. They reveal cultural backgrounds made up of a variety of different practices and traditions that influence your customers. By having this information available, you’ll have a better understanding of why some customers may answer questions differently than others.
Example: “Please specify your ethnicity.”A. Caucasian
B. African-American
C. Latino or Hispanic
D. Asian
E. Native American
F. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
G. Two or More
H. Other/Unknown
I. Prefer not to say
4. Location
Another standard question you should ask is about the location of the participant. You want to know where your customers are from because they may live in places you wouldn’t expect. For example, you may find that your business has a strong international audience and there’s an opportunity to market in different countries. Or, you might learn that your customers are travelers who are using your product or service on the go.
Example: “Where is your home located?”A. North America/Central America
B. South America
C. Europe
D. Africa
E. Asia
F. Australia
G. Caribbean Islands
H. Pacific Islands
I. Other: ______
J. Prefer not to say
5. Education
Education is a core demographic question because it provides insight into the type of work a participant may be doing. If your respondents all say they have a Ph.D., you know that their jobs involve critical thinking. Therefore, you can make a logical pitch — rather than an emotional one — to these leads about why your business is right for them.
When asking education questions, be sure to include options for trades and apprenticeships. Some of your customers may have chosen a different career path and the answers on your survey should reflect that.
Example: “What is the highest degree or level of education you have completed?”A. Some High School
B. High School
C. Bachelor’s Degree
D. Master’s Degree
E. Ph.D. or higher
F. Trade School
G. Prefer not to say
6. Marital Status
Marital status lets you know who your participants are interacting with during their everyday lives. If they’re married, their buying decisions may be influenced by different factors compared to someone who isn’t.
Example: “Are you married?”A. Yes
B. No
C. Prefer not to say
These are the demographic questions that should be included in almost every survey you create. Now that we know they’re on your list, let’s move on to some other questions you can add.
Demographic Survey Questions
- Household Income
- Employment
- Family and Dependents
- Voting Status
- Language
- Place of Birth
- Religion
- Political Affiliation
1. Household Income
Household income refers to the total amount of money made by people living in the same home. This sum includes the participant’s income, their spouse’s, and any other people living in their house. Collecting this information helps you understand the amount of buying power your customers control. As with any sensitive information, be sure to use range answers and include an option to skip the question.
Example: “What is your annual household income?”A. Less than $25,000
B. $25,000 – $50,000
C. $50,000 – $100,000
D. $100,000 – $200,000
E. More than $200,000
F. Prefer not to say
2. Employment
It’s useful to know the participant’s employment status as this contributes to their buying power. However, just like with household income, be sure to give the participant an option to omit the question if needed. For example, if the survey is for a job application, the applicant may not want it on record that they currently have a job. They could get in trouble with their current employer and potentially face repercussions.
Example: “What is your current employment status?”A. Employed Full-Time
B. Employed Part-Time
C. Seeking opportunities
D. Retired
E. Prefer not to say
3. Family and Dependents
If your participants are adults, it may make sense to ask them if they have children. Kids play a major role in buying decisions and influence your customer’s personal values. This means that customers with children are going to have different needs than people who don’t. It’s important to identify these differences so that you can create campaigns that appeal to both audiences.
Example: “How many children do you have?”A. None
B. 1
C. 2-4
D. More than 4
E. Prefer not to say
4. Voting Status
Voting status identifies whether or not the participant is registered to vote within a given region. This is useful because it shows how active the person is with local or national politics. Since this topic is very polarizing, you’ll want to know how much your customers value your political system.
Example: “Are you registered to vote in ____?”A. Yes
B. No
C. Prefer not to say
5. Language
Businesses care about language for two major reasons. First, speaking the same language as your customers builds a much stronger relationship with them.
Second, knowing the languages that they speak also reveals some important cultural details about the person. Just because two people are from the same place, doesn’t mean they speak the same language. And, that difference in language can lend to significant differences in customer needs, values, and goals.
Example: “Which languages are you capable of speaking fluently? (Check all that apply)”A. English
B. Spanish
C. Portuguese
D. French
E. Mandarin
F. Arabic
G. Other
H. Prefer not to say
6. Place of Birth
Knowing where and when a person was born can reveal significant details about their life. For example, if they were born in one country then moved around the world, there may have been a family, professional, political, or social factor that influenced their move. Experiencing this type of major life event will affect their wants and needs as a customer.
Example: “Where were you born?”A. North America
B. Central America
C. South America
D. Europe
E. Africa
F. Asia
G. Australia
H. Pacific Islander
I. Caribbean Islands
J. Other
K. Prefer not to say
7. Religion
Another cultural influence that’s prevalent in many people’s lives is religion. Religion significantly impacts your customers’ moral values and determining which one they subscribe to will help you understand their personal beliefs. Keep in mind that some people aren’t religious, so there should be an option to reflect this perspective.
Example: “If applicable, please specify your religion.”A. Catholicism/Christianity
B. Judaism
C. Islam
D. Buddhism
E. Hinduism
F. Other: ______
G. Prefer not to say
8. Political Affiliation
There are a few ways to approach this question, but how you do so should depend on the information you’re looking to obtain. If you’re interested in learning the political party that a person affiliates with, then you should ask that question directly. However, if you’re looking for their beliefs on political issues, you can ask in a more generic way, like in the example below.
Example: “How would you describe your political view?”A. Very Liberal
B. Slightly Liberal
C. Slightly Conservative
D. Very Conservative
E. Prefer not to say
Standard Demographic Questions – Example 2
Demographic segmentation is one of the most popular methods of market segmentation. The data is relatively easy to get and can help you craft more targeted marketing messages.
Before you can use it successfully, it’s important to be clear on the best demographic groups in your audience. That’s where demographic survey questions come into play.
You don’t want to create campaigns targeted at generation Z when most of the people buying your product are millennials.
Use simple demographic surveys to understand the breakdown of your audience and make the right decisions. This article walks you through what demographic surveys are, why they matter, and demographic survey questions you should and shouldn’t use.
Table of Contents
What is a demographic survey?
A demographic survey is a market research instrument in the form of a questionnaire that gives you a specific type of audience insight. It varies widely but you can get information about the respondent’s age, gender, income, and more.
Most surveys aren’t used to collect only demographic data. Rather, demographic survey questions are only part of a questionnaire. They can be an icebreaker and a great way to do cross-tabulation to get deeper insights into survey results.
In the end, it’s important to ask questions that make sense for your audience. For example, if you’re trying to get feedback from a professional audience, you wouldn’t ask about their high school classes. If you’re surveying high school students, you wouldn’t ask about their marital status.
Why does demographic information matter?
Demographic data cuts across industries. It will allow you to make educated guesses about what will appeal to your customers and what would turn them off.
The background information you gather from demographic questions also makes it easier to find out where to reach them. If you know they’re employed in a marketing role at a large firm, you can narrow down marketing channels. If they’re solo entrepreneurs, you may take a different approach.
The type of question you use matters as much as what you’re asking. Let’s take a look at the demographic questions you should and shouldn’t ask.
Standard demographic survey questions to ask
1. Age
Age is one of the most common demographic questions. It’s useful because it’ll help you understand if the person fits your target audience.
Another overlooked way to take advantage of age-related information is within your marketing. For example, if your target demographic group is over sixty, they may remember the Beatles and everything that entails. If they’re millennials, they might have fond memories of Britney Spears and TLC. There are two types of age-related demographic questions.
Broad age questions. These are used when you’re trying to get a baseline for the age of your target audience.
Demographic question example:
What is your age range?
- Below 18
- 18 – 24
- 25 – 34
- 35 – 44
- 45 – 54
- 44 – 64
- Above 65
Narrow age questions. This demographic question is used when you already know the age range of your target audience but want to know the distribution.
Demographic question example:
What is your current age?
- 18 – 20
- 21 – 22
- 23 – 25
- 26 – 28
- 29 – 31
- 32 – 34
When to use
Use age-related demographic questions to inform your marketing campaigns. The answers will let you put the rest of the survey into perspective. For example, an eighty-year-old may answer a question about video games differently than a 22-year-old.https://app.kyleads.com/f/103/sT541X?mobile=false
2. Gender
Gender is also one of the most popular demographic questions but it’s not useful in all situations. For example, KyLeads doesn’t do much with gender information because all genders can sign up for our products.
In other industries, it’s essential to know the gender of your customers. For example, an eCommerce fashion brand would tailor product pages and marketing campaigns to specific genders. There are two types of gender-based questions.
Open-ended questions about gender. These are used when you’re not sure of the genders that make up your audience or how people describe them.
Demographic question example:
What gender do you identify as?
_______
Close ended questions about gender. These are used when you know the genders in your audience and how people identify themselves.
Demographic question example:
What gender do you identify as?
- Male
- Female
- Trans-gender
- Non-binary
- Prefer not to answer
- Other____
Note: You’d only use additional options if your open-ended survey showed you that’s how your audience identifies itself.
When to use gender demographic survey questions
Gender is a charged topic. There are more than two accepted gender roles in modern society so that needs to be taken into account. Instead of just asking what the respondent’s gender is, ask “what gender do you identify as?” Also, avoid referring to it as “sex”.
This question is ideal when gender matters to your business. You may have a narrow customer avatar that’s only one gender. For example, a brotherhood or a female empowerment group.
This question can help you understand how those group members identify and whether it’s time to expand to another demographic group because of increased interest.
3. Ethnicity
The ethnicity of an individual (it’s also used interchangeably with race or culture though we’re only one race so that terminology is outdated) can have an effect on the way they answer questions. Keep in mind that ethnicity shouldn’t be used alone because it can lead to generalizations.
For example, someone could mention that they’re Latin American. The majority of Latin America identifies as Catholic. An assumption could be made that they’re answering questions a certain way because of that. It doesn’t take into consideration the place of birth (which we’ll talk about later) or age.
Demographic question example:
Please specify your ethnicity or what is your ethnicity?
- Caucasian
- African American
- African
- Latino or Hispanic
- Asian
- Two or more ethnicities
- Middle eastern/Arabic
- Unknown
- Prefer not to say
- Other
Note: there are many more possible variations and seemingly similar groups can be incredibly varied. For example, Asia has many different groups that follow geographic lines and African Americans are culturally distinct from Africans.
When to use ethnicity questions
These questions can be used to understand the common cultural backgrounds of your audience. It can also be useful for creating different types of marketing messages for broad segments. If you only want to target a specific ethnic group the responses from respondents who fit your target group will have more weight.
4. Location
You may be interested in finding geographic information about your customers and be pleasantly surprised at their answers. It can reveal opportunities to expand operations or double down on localizing in certain markets you may not have thought about.
There are two types of location-based demographic questions.
Broad location questions. This question is useful when you can serve any country or market because of the nature of your products.
Demographic question example:
Where do you live?
- North America
- South America
- Europe
- Africa
- Asia
- Australia
Note: You can also add Antarctica.
Narrow location questions. If you’re a local business or a national business that doesn’t provide services to other countries then narrower questions may be useful.
Where do you live?
- New York
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- California
- Texas
Note: this kind of question can have many options so a dropdown menu is ideal. You can narrow it further and use counties or suburbs depending on the nature of your business.
When to use location questions
Demographic information related to location can help you find new markets to expand into. It can also help you make the case for doubling down on what’s already working in your business. Like other demographic data, it should be used in conjunction with other information to paint a clearer picture.
5. Marital status
Marital status is important to market research because it allows you to make a few solid assumptions such as having children. This opens up a whole other product category and buying potential for the right kind of business. Another thing is that they may be willing to buy gifts for their significant other.
Demographic question example:
What is your marital status?
- Single, never married
- Divorced
- Separated
- Married or cohabitating
- Widow or widower
- Other___
When to use
Keep in mind that the assumptions about married people are just that, assumptions. For example, there are many couples without children and single people with children. Don’t ask this question unless it has direct implications in your business like a couples retreat. If it’s just to strengthen assumptions, there are other demographic questions you can ask.
6. Employment
Employment can be used as a proxy for spending power because many respondents aren’t comfortable telling you how much they earn. It’s important to ask clarifying questions such as profession if that’s the goal because salaries can vary wildly.
Demographic survey question example:
Which of the following best describes your current employment status?
- Full-time employment
- Self-employed
- Part-time employment
- Underemployed (wage is below industry average)
- Full time freelancing
- Unemployed (looking for work)
- Unemployed (not looking for work)
- Student
- Inability to work
When to use
We all have biases and that’s in large part due to our environments. The type of employment or level of employment someone has can affect biases. It can also be used when you’re targeting a certain type of customer such as an entrepreneur or freelancer.
Less common demographic survey questions
7. Family size
Family size can be a follow on question after someone tells you they’re married. This will let you know whether or not they have kids. It can also be a standalone question. It can inform everything from spending habits to the kind of television watched in the home.
How many children do you have?
- None
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6 or more
Note: If you want to get a better idea of their situation, you can ask them to exclude adult children.
8. Previous home location(s)
This question gives you an idea of where you may have potential inroads for market penetration. The logic is simple, if someone who’s lived in X area in the past likes our products then there may be more people who like your products there.
Keep in mind that people change and adapt to their environment over time. If they lived somewhere 20 years ago then it may be irrelevant.
Which places have you lived in the last 5 years?
_____
Note: it may be best to leave this question open-ended because there are too many possible answers to account for all of them.
9. Languages spoken at home
First and foremost, you’ll need a common language to communicate with your customers. Someone may fit your target market perfectly but the language you speak is a second or third language to them.
It also reveals more about who they are as a person. Two people can live in the same area, have the same income range, and even a similar family make up. If one is primarily English speaking and the other speaks Italian and English, you know there are fundamental differences in the psychographic profile.
What languages do you speak fluently (select all that apply)?
- English
- Spanish
- Italian
- German
- French
- Russian
- Mandarin
- Other
Note: There are thousands of languages in the world but over half the world’s population speaks just 23 languages. Keep this in mind and tailor your survey questions to match the predominant groups in your audience.
10. Religion
Religion affects the lives of your customers in many ways. It determines the kind of foods they’ll eat, the kind of company they keep, and deep-rooted beliefs. When you understand their religion, even if they’re not devout, it’ll help you avoid seemingly harmless blunders.
It can even help you connect on a deeper level. Tread this road carefully because history has taught us that religion can be a hot button issue. When it doubt, avoid using religion in your marketing. Instead, use the data to inform what’s acceptable and what isn’t.
Please specific your religion
- Christianity
- Islam
- Judaism
- Buddhism
- Hinduism
- N/A
- Prefer not to say
- Other ____
Note: you may want to preface your question with something like “if applicable” to let people know you understand they may not have a religion.
11. Education
The educational attainment of your respondents is important because it can affect the way they answer questions. Someone who only completed high school would likely have a different income level, professional experience, or even life perspective than someone who’s gone on to higher education.
This demographic information will also allow you to gain insights into how you structure your messages and pitches. Someone with a master’s degree in business may not need to be told the basics of an investment strategy.
What is the highest level of education you have completed?
- High school
- Some high school
- Bachelor’s degree
- Master’s degree
- Ph.D. or higher
- Associates degree
- Trade school
- Prefer not to say
- Other _____
12. Income
Income can be a sensitive topic – especially if someone is underemployed. Avoid asking for the exact income figure and instead focus on income ranges. This demographic data is powerful because it’ll let you know if your target audience can afford your product or if they need a lower-cost alternative.
What is the annual income range of your household?
- Under $25,000
- $25,000 – $50,000
- $50,001 – $100,000
- $100,001 – $250,000
- $250,001 – $500,000
- $500,001 – $1,000,000
- Above $1 million
Note: These ranges are arbitrary and used for example purposes. You may want to create narrower ranges to get better insights.
13. Birthplace
Many people consider birthplace a piece of demographic data that’s not strictly necessary. They’ve moved away from their birthplace and are living in a new place. While that’s true, this information can be important because of cultural leanings. This is especially relevant if they were born in a different country.
You can either go narrow or broad. If you go narrow, there will be many more options so it’ll be a good idea to leave it as an open-ended question.
Which country were you born in?
____
Which city were you born in?
_____
Where were you born?
- North America
- South America
- Europe
- Asia
- Australia
- Africa
Demographic survey questions to avoid
Just because you have the ability to gather demographic information, that doesn’t mean people will answer your questions. Some data is too sensitive and won’t be shared willingly. In many cases, they won’t help you create more targeted marketing messages. Here are a few questions to avoid.
Date of birth
Unless you have a very good reason to collect this information, don’t bother. It’s too personal for a survey and a respondent will only give it to those they have a strong relationship with. Instead of asking this question, stick with narrow age ranges. It’s just as useful but doesn’t create as much resistance.
Names or names of family members
Many survey takers will only participate under the condition of anonymity. If, for some reason, you need Information that will make them personally identifiable, be careful about the other questions you ask.
For example, if you need their email address to enroll them in a giveaway or contest then they may be unwilling to answer questions about location, income, etc. Asking about the names of other family members is a red flag and may stop participation completely.
Address
This can be construed as shady. Why would you need their work or home address? Is there a transaction involved or are you shipping something to them? Most likely, you’re not. Even if you want to enroll them in a competition, their address isn’t needed until you choose a winner.
Avoid asking for an address and instead focus on their locality. You can ask for country, state, county, and even city.
Conclusion
Demographic information is a powerful way to segment customers and develop better marketing campaigns. Before you can do that, you have to ask demographic survey questions that hit the mark.
This guide has gone through 13 high impact questions you can start using today to enhance the demographic information you collect and grow your business.