Survey Logic Settings Selection
SurveyMars currently supports four types of question and option logic: Option Skip Logic, Question Association Logic, Option Association Logic, and Option Reference Logic. But how should you use them in your surveys? Is it better to use more logic? , We'll break down these logic types and explain them in detail.
Skip Logic (Recommended: 1 Star)
Skip Logic, as the name suggests, means that after selecting certain options, the survey automatically jumps to a later question. For detailed usage help, click here to view.
In many questionnaire documents prepared by users, they often mark that selecting a certain option should jump to a certain question, so users frequently choose Skip Logic when selecting logic types. However, Skip Logic has an obvious drawback: you must combine option skip logic with unconditional skip logic. Let's use an example with 3 questions:
Question 1: "What is your gender?"
- Male (jump to Question 2)
- Female (jump to Question 3)
Question 2: "As a male, who is your favorite sports star?"
Question 3: "As a female, who is your favorite movie star?"
In this example, if you set Skip Logic on Question 1: option "Male" jumps to Question 2, and option "Female" jumps to Question 3.
1. When the respondent makes no selection in Question 1, both Question 2 and Question 3 are displayed by default.
2. When the respondent selects "Female" in Question 1, they jump to Question 3 (the question for females) according to the condition, and Question 2 is hidden. This works correctly.
3. When the respondent selects "Male" in Question 1, they jump to Question 2 (the question for males) according to the condition, but Question 3 is not hidden. After completing Question 2, they will continue to Question 3 (the question for females) in sequence. This creates an error: males are answering questions that should only be for females.
To solve this problem, you need to set an "unconditional skip" rule on Question 2, meaning that after males complete Question 2, they should jump directly to Question 4 or the end of the survey. Setting up skip logic for just three questions requires this combination design. When there are more jump options, the logic becomes even more complex. This is why "Skip Logic" only has a recommendation rating of one star.
So how do you solve this problem? This brings us to "Question Association Logic" which we will discuss next.
When to Use Skip Logic:
So when should you use Skip Logic? A classic example is:
Question 1: "What is your gender?"
- Male (judged as invalid response, end survey)
- Female
Question 2: "As a female, which platform do you most frequently purchase from?"
Question 3: "As a female, who is your favorite movie star?"
From this example, you can see that if a survey is entirely for females, and the gender selection in Question 1 is only for sample screening, where selecting "Male" requires directly ending the survey, you can use Skip Logic to jump directly to the end.
In this case, if you were to use Association Logic, you would need to associate all subsequent questions with the "Female" option, which would be more cumbersome.
Question Association Logic (Recommended: 5 Stars)
Question Association Logic means that a question is not displayed by default, and whether it is displayed is associated with whether a certain option in a previous question is selected. For detailed usage help, click here to view.
Let's use an example:
Question 1: "What is your gender?"
- Male
- Female
Question 2: "As a male, who is your favorite sports star?"
Question 3: "As a female, who is your favorite movie star?"
In this example, Question 2 and Question 3 are associated with Question 1's "Male" and "Female" options respectively. When Question 1 selects "Male", Question 2 appears; when Question 1 selects "Female", Question 3 appears. Since Question 1 is a single-choice question, only one option can be selected, so only one of Question 2 or Question 3 will appear.
How to Choose Between Skip Logic and Association Logic?
Let's return to the question mentioned at the beginning: which logic should I use in my survey?
Our recommendation is: if there are no special requirements, use "Association Logic" for everything. Even if your questionnaire document clearly states "after selecting this option, jump to a certain question later", we still recommend using Association Logic, because based on our experience entering questionnaires for users, 95% of documents marked this way can be implemented using Association Logic. When we enter questionnaires, we also prioritize using Association Logic to help users achieve their goals.
What are the "special requirements" mentioned above? A classic example is:
Question 1: "What is your gender?"
- Male (judged as invalid response, end survey)
- Female
Question 2: "As a female, which platform do you most frequently purchase from?"
Question 3: "As a female, who is your favorite movie star?"
From this example, you can see that if a survey is entirely for females, and the gender selection in Question 1 is only for sample screening, where selecting "Male" requires directly ending the survey, you can use Skip Logic to jump directly to the end.
In this case, if you were to use Association Logic, you would need to associate all subsequent questions with the "Female" option, which would be more cumbersome.
This is much simpler than Skip Logic and is the most recommended approach for most scenarios.
Option Association Logic (Recommended: 4 Stars)
Option Association Logic means that multiple options in a question are not displayed by default, and whether different options are displayed is associated with whether certain options in a previous question are selected. For detailed usage help, click here to view.
Let's use an example about Option Association:
Question 1: "What is your gender?"
- Male
- Female
Question 2: "Please select the interest groups you want to join:"
- Calligraphy (both males and females can select)
- Painting (both males and females can select)
- Football (limited to males)
- Basketball (limited to males)
- Handicrafts (limited to females)
- Makeup (limited to females)
In this example, the interest group selection has a certain association with gender (of course, females can also select football and basketball, and males can also select handicrafts and makeup - this is just an example). Calligraphy and painting can be selected by both males and females, football and basketball are limited to males, and handicrafts and makeup are limited to females.
To achieve the above effect, using Option Association is most appropriate:
- Calligraphy and Painting: No logic settings, displayed by default
- Football and Basketball: Associated with Question 1's "Male" option - only displayed when Question 1 selects "Male". Since Question 1 is a single-choice question, the "Female" option is not selected, so the Handicrafts and Makeup options will not appear.
- Handicrafts and Makeup: Associated with Question 1's "Female" option - only displayed when Question 1 selects "Female". Since Question 1 is a single-choice question, the "Male" option is not selected, so the Basketball and Football options will not appear.
How to Choose Between Option Association and Question Association?
Both Option Association and Question Association contain "Association" logic, but how should you choose in actual surveys?
Question Association: Under different conditions, answer completely different questions.
Option Association: Under different conditions, answer different options within the same question.
Option Reference Logic (Recommended: 4 Stars)
Option Reference means introducing the selected options from a previous question into the next question as options. For detailed usage help, click here to view.
Option Reference is relatively independent from the Skip Logic, Option Association, and Question Association mentioned above. Its classic usage scenario is shown in the following example:
Question 1: "Which mobile phone brands do you know?"
- Samsung
- Apple
- Google（Pixel）
- Motorola
- Sony
Question 2: "Which mobile phone brand are you currently using?"
Note: The options in Question 2 are the selected options from Question 1.
In this example, Question 1 and Question 2 have a progressive relationship in meaning. Question 1 first asks which brands you know, and Question 2 asks you to choose from the brands you know which one you are currently using. In this case, the options in Question 2 are not fixed and depend on each respondent's selection in Question 1. In the setup, you need to reference the selected options from Question 1. For example:
1. Student A selects Samsung, Apple, and Motorolain Question 1. Question 2 will only have these three options, and they must choose from these three.
2. Student B selects all five brands in Question 1. Question 2 will display all five options, and they must choose from these five.
3. Student C only knows Apple and only selects Apple in Question 1. Question 2 will only have Apple as the option, and they must select this option.
Important Notes
- More logic doesn't always mean better surveys. Choose the logic type that best fits your specific scenario
- Question Association Logic is the most recommended approach for most scenarios (5 stars)
- Skip Logic requires combining option skip logic with unconditional skip logic, making it more complex to set up
- Option Association Logic is ideal when you need different options for different conditions within the same question
- Option Reference Logic creates dynamic, progressive surveys where subsequent questions adapt based on previous answers
- Use Skip Logic primarily when you need to end the survey for certain respondents or filter invalid responses
- Test your survey logic thoroughly before publishing to ensure it works as expected
FAQs
Q1: Which logic type should I use for my survey?
A: It depends on your specific needs. Use Question Association Logic when different conditions require different questions (most recommended - 5 stars). Use Option Association Logic when different conditions require different options within the same question (4 stars). Use Option Reference Logic when you want subsequent questions to use selected options from previous questions (4 stars). Use Skip Logic primarily when you need to end the survey for certain respondents (1 star).
Q2: Is it better to use more logic in my survey?
A: Not necessarily. More logic doesn't always mean better surveys. Use logic strategically to improve the respondent experience and data quality. Overly complex logic may confuse respondents and make the survey harder to complete.
Q3: What's the difference between Option Association and Question Association?
A: Question Association means answering completely different questions under different conditions. Option Association means answering different options within the same question under different conditions.
Q4: Why is Skip Logic only recommended with 1 star?
A: Skip Logic requires combining option skip logic with unconditional skip logic, making setup more complex. For most scenarios, Question Association Logic is simpler and more appropriate. Skip Logic is mainly useful when you need to end the survey for certain respondents or filter invalid responses early in the survey.
Q5: How does Option Reference Logic work?
A: Option Reference Logic uses the selected options from a previous question as the options in the current question. For example, if a respondent selects "Samsung", "OPPO", and "Xiaomi" in Question 1, Question 2 will only show these three options for selection.
Q6: When should I use Skip Logic instead of Question Association Logic?
A: Use Skip Logic when you need to end the survey for certain respondents. For example, if your survey is only for females and selecting "Male" should end the survey immediately, Skip Logic is appropriate. If you were to use Association Logic in this case, you would need to associate all subsequent questions with the "Female" option, which would be more cumbersome.
Q7: Can I combine multiple logic types in the same survey?
A: Yes, you can combine multiple logic types in a single survey. However, make sure they don't conflict with each other and test thoroughly to ensure the logic works as expected.
Q8: What happens if a respondent doesn't meet any condition in Option Association Logic?
A: If no options are displayed because none of the conditions are met, the question may appear empty or the respondent may not be able to proceed. Make sure to include at least one option that is always displayed (without association logic) or ensure all possible conditions are covered.
Q9: Can I test my logic before publishing the survey?
A: Yes, you should always test your survey logic thoroughly before publishing. Use the preview function to test different answer paths and ensure the logic works as expected.
Q10: What should I do if my logic isn't working as expected?
A: First, review your logic settings to ensure they are configured correctly. Check for conflicts between different logic types. Test the survey in preview mode with different answer combinations. If issues persist, consider simplifying the logic or using a different logic type that better fits your scenario.
