Research Tips
Ending a Survey with an Open-Ended Question
Survey questionnaires often end with a question such as: “Is there anything that you have not yet been asked about or had the opportunity to fully explain that you think is important? If so, please explain here.”
Along with the general advantages of open-ended questions, leaving open-ended questions to the end is useful as they:
- Enable respondents to raise important issues they believe have not been addressed.
- May generate respondent feedback about the quality of the survey.
- Can reduce the likelihood that respondents skip questions: respondents may skip structured questions if they feel they have already given their views on the subject in response to a previous open-ended question.