Survey vs. Questionnaire: Are they the same thing or different?

The terms ‘survey’ and ‘questionnaire’ are often used interchangeably, but are they actually the same thing, or are they in fact different methods of undertaking research?

Here, we’re going to explore two different schools of thought, detailing whether there are any fundamental differences between them.

Let’s get started.

Argument 1: Surveys and questionnaires are different things

Although they’re similar in that they are both a method of data collection, this school of thought considers surveys and questionnaires to be different things. 

TLDR: Think individual vs. group, top-level vs. deeper dive.

What is a questionnaire? 

A questionnaire is a research tool that aims to obtain specific content from an individual participant in a single session. This is done through a series of target questions that the participant answers. Questionnaires can be conducted digitally, on paper, remotely, or in person.

A questionnaire is a singular, isolated tool limited to the one time it is used. The contents of a questionnaire—the questions—can be anything that evaluates or measures many different variables and scalable factors particular to the participant. Think of things like their response, opinion, or approach to a specific thing.

Due to the single-serving nature of questionnaires, they are usually used as tools in part of larger data-collection projects. They can be used outside of this, but this isn’t as common as questionnaires, which don’t provide a wide breadth of nuanced data.

What is a survey? 

A survey is a type of research process. It involves collecting, aggregating, analyzing, and interpreting data from multiple participants and can also examine trends in their responses. A survey aims to gather insights about a specific group of people, also known as a target audience.

Surveys go beyond collecting the data and consider how it is collected through specific methodologies and onto data analysis.

What are the key differences between surveys and questionnaires? 

When considering the key differences between surveys and questionnaires, it all comes down to their purpose. A questionnaire is part of a survey and presents a single viewpoint based on the individual answering it. A questionnaire alone doesn’t provide as much info as a survey.

Surveys gather and organize data from a broader response base and a more comprehensive data set. As such, they often delve deeper than questionnaires. Surveys can usually involve multiple forms of data collection outside questionnaires, so they aren’t limited in the types of research methodologies that they can use.

When do you use a survey vs. when do you use a questionnaire?

When deciding whether to use a questionnaire or survey for your project, it all comes down to understanding the objective of your research project. Remember, questionnaires can be part of a survey, but not vice versa. 

A questionnaire-only project can be used when you want to collect individual data, like mailing list segmentation, information for processing payments or signing up for a service that requires information about you. Think a doctor’s surgery, gym, or dentist.

On the other hand, surveys are used to get people’s opinions, feedback, and so on. This is great for gathering quantitative and qualitative data and means you can branch out to other data-gathering methods that may be less tangible than sticking to a questionnaire-only strategy.

Argument 2: Surveys and questionnaires are the same thing

Despite what others might argue, this school of thought argues that, in academic research, the terms ‘surveys’ and ‘questionnaires’ are widely used interchangeably - much to the chagrin of some terminology purists!

TLDR: In research reality, there’s no difference at all between a survey and a questionnaire.  

Yes, some argue that these tools have distinct functions—questionnaires being a single-session tool for gathering specific responses, and surveys encompassing broader data collection and analysis—but most seasoned researchers in fact consider them to be commonly used synonyms.

What are the key similarities between surveys and questionnaires? 

The interchangeable use of these terms reflects the fundamental reality that there are similarities that apply to both terms. Whether you call your data collection process a ‘survey’ or a ‘questionnaire’...

• They are both tools with a straightforward, shared aim - collecting data from individuals or groups
• They both share the ultimate goal of enhancing our understanding of a particular subject

The interchangeable use of the terms reflects the reality of day-to-day communication between researchers - one that sees researchers prioritize insights gained over obsessive dwelling on the semantics of tools used. 

Though this may seem like an imperfect inconsistency, it reflects researchers focusing on what truly matters—the quality and clarity of the data collected.

Conclusion

So in this argument of “Survey vs. Questionnaire: Are they the same thing or different?”, who’s right? 

We’ll leave that to you, the reader, to decide. 

Whether there is a difference or not may, in fact, be a moot point. What matters is that when explaining research methodology, goals, and overall objectives, using clear terminology, intentionally, means everyone involved—from stakeholders to participants—has a shared and accurate understanding of the work. That clarity helps projects run more efficiently and smoothly. 

Remember to keep this in mind when designing your research methodology!

Ready to set up your own study (with data collection from a survey or questionnaire!)? Sign up to Prolific to easily find vetted research participants.