Using social proof to ask questions that shoppers will answer
Here’s an example of why ignoring the decree "Don't bias the participant"– and challenging the methodology purists who strictly enforce it – is sometimes exactly what you should do.
A few weeks ago, I composed the following question for a client’s survey, which was then tested among a sample of about 15 people.
Q1: Do you have a significant question or concern about your personal finances that you want to ask an expert but have not because you cannot find one?
• Yes
• No
Not a single person selected “Yes.”
That was an issue, as we knew that most people have unaddressed financial concerns.
The challenge was prompting people to reveal their concerns, not confirming their existence.
For the subsequent test, I revised the question by removing the phrase “... that you want to ask an expert…” and adding “many people have at least one significant question or concern….”
The revised question:
Q1: Many people have at least one significant question or concern about their personal finances that they need to address. Do you have such a question or concern for you or your household?
• Yes
• No
This turned out to work. Nearly half the respondents selected “Yes,” allowing us to delve into the specifics of their financial concerns.
Key to this adjustment was social proof.
The phrase “many people'' clarified for respondents that we were addressing a common experience. (Removing the phrase “... that you want to ask an expert because you can not find one,” also eliminated any sense of inferiority that could have turned some people away.)
It’s a good example of how understanding and leveraging human psychology — instead of adhering to strict survey design rules — can be crucial to uncovering deeper and more actionable responses.
For me, that’s the whole point of my $45 Survey Roasts: finding and pulling the right psychological levers.
If that’s something you’ve struggled with – either while designing or managing a survey – then consider booking a Roast.
Just click on the link below.
I’d love to help.
https://www.sammcnerney.com/45-dollar-survey-roast
Cheers,
Sam