Double-Barreled Question

A double-barreled question combines two distinct concepts into a single question, forcing respondents to give one answer for what are really two separate issues. For example: "How satisfied are you with our product quality and customer service?" A customer might love the product but hate the service—there is no way to express that with a single rating.

Double-barreled questions are one of the most common survey design mistakes. They produce unreliable data because you cannot determine which part of the question the respondent is reacting to. Every answer is ambiguous.

The fix is straightforward: split the question into two separate questions. "How satisfied are you with our product quality?" and "How satisfied are you with our customer service?" This adds one question to the survey but dramatically improves data quality.

Identifying double-barreled questions is easy: look for the word "and" or "or" in your questions. Not every use of "and" creates a double-barreled question, but it is a reliable indicator to check. During survey review, have someone unfamiliar with the survey read each question and identify what exactly is being asked.