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Multiple Answer Question

Essential for "select all that apply" scenarios. Allow respondents to select one or more options from a list of choices.

Question Type Code: MC:MultipleAnswer | Last Updated: December 2025

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Overview

What is a Multiple Answer Question?

A Multiple Answer question (also known as checkbox or multi-select) allows survey respondents to select one or more options from a list of predefined choices. This question type is essential for "select all that apply" scenarios where multiple selections are valid and expected.

  • Checkbox interface - Visual indicator of multiple selection capability
  • Multiple selections allowed - Select as many options as applicable
  • Universal support - Works across all 20+ platforms
  • 100% conversion accuracy - Perfect structure preservation

When you create a multiple answer question in Pirai AI using the MC:MultipleAnswer type, it converts seamlessly to the native multi-select format across Qualtrics, REDCap, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, and all other supported platforms.

When to Use

✅ Best Use Cases

Product & Service Feedback

  • Features you use regularly
  • Features you'd like to see added
  • Reasons for choosing a product/service
  • Problems encountered with a product

Awareness & Recognition

  • Brands you recognize (aided awareness)
  • Channels where you saw advertising
  • Events you attended
  • Sources of information

Behavioral Research

  • Activities you engage in
  • Devices you own
  • Social media platforms you use
  • Payment methods you accept

Demographics & Segmentation

  • Areas of expertise
  • Certifications held
  • Languages spoken
  • Countries visited

Market Research

  • Media consumption habits
  • Shopping preferences
  • Purchase influencers
  • Competitive product usage

Healthcare & Medical

  • Symptoms experienced
  • Medications currently taking
  • Allergies
  • Medical conditions

❌ When NOT to Use

Use Different Question Types Instead

  • Only one selection allowed? → Use MC:SingleAnswer
  • Rating multiple items on same scale? → Use Matrix (grid questions)
  • Need to rank/prioritize items? → Use RankOrder
  • Need exact quantity or percentage? → Use ConstantSum

Visual Example

How Respondents See It

Q2
Which social media platforms do you use regularly? (Select all that apply)

Key Visual Characteristics:

  • Checkboxes (squares ☑) indicating multiple selection capability
  • Multiple options can be selected simultaneously
  • Clear "Select all that apply" instruction in question text
  • Distinct from radio buttons (single answer)
  • Some options shown as checked to demonstrate multi-select

Pirai AI Excel Specification

Quick Reference

To create a Multiple Answer question in Pirai AI, use the 7-column Excel format:

Block Name Question ID Question Text Question Type Answer Option Text Recode Value Matrix Type
Preferences Q2 Which social media platforms do you use regularly? (Select all that apply) MC:MultipleAnswer Facebook 1
Preferences Q2 Instagram 2
Preferences Q2 Twitter/X 3
Preferences Q2 LinkedIn 4
Preferences Q2 TikTok 5
Preferences Q2 YouTube 6
Preferences Q2 Snapchat 7
Preferences Q2 Other 8

Key Formatting Rules

  1. First Row: Contains Block Name, Question ID, Question Text, MC:MultipleAnswer, first option, and recode value 1
  2. Subsequent Rows: Same Block Name and Question ID, but leave Question Text and Question Type empty
  3. Answer Options: Each option gets its own row with sequential recode values (1, 2, 3, 4...)
  4. Matrix Type: Always leave empty for multiple choice questions
  5. Clear Instructions: Include "(Select all that apply)" in question text for clarity

📖 Full Format Documentation

See the complete Excel Specification Format Guide for detailed column explanations and advanced formatting options.

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Feature Selection Survey

Question: Which features are most important to you in a project management tool?

Block Name Question ID Question Text Question Type Answer Option Text Recode Value Matrix Type
Features Q3 Which features are most important to you in a project management tool? (Select all that apply) MC:MultipleAnswer Task tracking 1
Features Q3 Team collaboration 2
Features Q3 Time tracking 3
Features Q3 Budget management 4
Features Q3 Gantt charts 5
Features Q3 Mobile app 6
Features Q3 Integrations 7
Features Q3 Reporting/analytics 8
Features Q3 File storage 9

Example 2: Brand Awareness Study

Question: Which of these coffee brands have you heard of?

Block Name Question ID Question Text Question Type Answer Option Text Recode Value Matrix Type
Awareness Q5 Which of these coffee brands have you heard of? (Select all that apply) MC:MultipleAnswer Starbucks 1
Awareness Q5 Dunkin' 2
Awareness Q5 Peet's Coffee 3
Awareness Q5 Tim Hortons 4
Awareness Q5 Costa Coffee 5
Awareness Q5 Blue Bottle 6
Awareness Q5 Caribou Coffee 7
Awareness Q5 None of these 8

Example 3: Healthcare Screening

Question: Do you have any of the following medical conditions?

Block Name Question ID Question Text Question Type Answer Option Text Recode Value Matrix Type
Medical Q7 Do you have any of the following medical conditions? (Select all that apply) MC:MultipleAnswer Diabetes 1
Medical Q7 Hypertension 2
Medical Q7 Heart disease 3
Medical Q7 Asthma 4
Medical Q7 Arthritis 5
Medical Q7 None of the above 6
Medical Q7 Prefer not to answer 7

Example 4: Marketing Attribution

Question: Where did you hear about our company?

Block Name Question ID Question Text Question Type Answer Option Text Recode Matrix
Attribution Q4 Where did you hear about our company? (Select all that apply) MC:MultipleAnswer Google search 1
Attribution Q4 Social media ad 2
Attribution Q4 Friend/colleague recommendation 3
Attribution Q4 News article or blog 4
Attribution Q4 Email newsletter 5
Attribution Q4 Podcast or YouTube 6
Attribution Q4 Trade show/conference 7
Attribution Q4 Industry publication 8
Attribution Q4 Other 9

Example 5: Employee Benefits Prioritization

Question: Which benefits are most important to you?

Block Name Question ID Question Text Question Type Answer Option Text Recode Matrix
Benefits Q6 Which benefits are most important to you? (Select up to 5) MC:MultipleAnswer Health insurance 1
Benefits Q6 Dental insurance 2
Benefits Q6 Vision insurance 3
Benefits Q6 401(k) matching 4
Benefits Q6 Paid time off 5
Benefits Q6 Remote work flexibility 6
Benefits Q6 Professional development 7
Benefits Q6 Performance bonus 8
Benefits Q6 Stock options 9
Benefits Q6 Gym membership 10

💡 Selection Limit Tip

While Pirai AI creates the question structure, selection limits ("Select up to 5") are enforced in the target platform after conversion.

Platform Support Matrix

✅ Full Native Support

MC:MultipleAnswer converts to native multi-select formats across all 20+ Pirai AI platforms:

Platform Category Platforms Native Question Type
Market Research Qualtrics, QuestionPro, Forsta, SurveyMonkey, Alchemer, Zoho Surveys Multiple choice (checkboxes)
Healthcare REDCap, Sawtooth Checkboxes (coded)
Education (LMS) Moodle, Canvas, Kahoot, LearnWorlds, BrainCert, ClassMarker Multiple answer / Checkboxes
Standards QTI 2.1, Respondus Choice interaction (multiple)
Enterprise Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, PointerPro Checkboxes / Multiple choice

Conversion Quality

  • Accuracy: 100% - Multiple answer questions maintain perfect structure
  • Compatibility: All 20+ platforms, zero configuration required
  • Speed: 15 seconds for entire survey vs 2-5 minutes per question manually

Platform-Specific Data Storage

📊 How Data is Stored

Binary Format (Most Common):

  • Each option becomes a separate binary variable (0/1)
  • Example: Q2_1 (Facebook), Q2_2 (Instagram), Q2_3 (Twitter)
  • Used by: Qualtrics, REDCap, SPSS exports

Comma-Separated Format:

  • Selected options stored as comma-separated values
  • Example: "1,3,4" (selected options 1, 3, and 4)
  • Used by: SurveyMonkey, Google Forms

Horizontal Layout Variant

For questions with fewer options (typically 3-7), you can use horizontal display with MC:MultipleAnswer:Horizontal:

Visual Comparison

Vertical (Default):

☑ Option A
☐ Option B
☑ Option C
☐ Option D

Horizontal Layout:

☑ Option A   ☐ Option B
☑ Option C   ☐ Option D

Excel Format for Horizontal

Simply change the question type to MC:MultipleAnswer:Horizontal:

Block Name Question ID Question Text Question Type Answer Option Text Recode Matrix
Survey Q8 Which devices do you own? (Select all that apply) MC:MultipleAnswer:Horizontal Laptop 1
Survey Q8 Tablet 2
Survey Q8 Smartphone 3
Survey Q8 Desktop 4
Survey Q8 Smartwatch 5

💡 When to Use Horizontal Layout

  • Short option text (1-3 words)
  • 3-7 options maximum
  • Rating scales (satisfaction, agreement, frequency)
  • Likert-style single items

Best Practices

✅ Design Guidelines

Option Count

  • Minimum: 2 options (though typically 3+)
  • Optimal: 4-12 options for usability
  • Maximum: 15-20 options before considering restructuring

Clear Instructions

  • Always include "(Select all that apply)"
  • Consider "(Check all that apply)"
  • For limited selections: "(Select up to 3)"

Option Design

  • Keep option text concise (under 75 characters)
  • Use parallel structure across options
  • Order logically (alphabetical, frequency, or importance)
  • Avoid overlapping categories

Include Catch-All Options

  • "Other (please specify)" for completeness
  • "None of the above" when applicable
  • "Prefer not to answer" for sensitive questions

⚠️ Avoid "Select All" Options

  • Don't include an option that says "All of the above"
  • Users can select all checkboxes if needed
  • "All of the above" creates analytical complexity

✅ Question Wording

💡 Good Examples

  • "Which of the following features do you use regularly? (Select all that apply)"
  • "What devices do you own? (Check all that apply)"
  • "Which symptoms are you experiencing? (Select all relevant)"

❌ Poor Examples

  • "Select your favorite platforms" (use singular "platform" for MC:SingleAnswer)
  • "Check if applicable" (unclear - which options?)
  • "All that apply" (missing context)

✅ Data Analysis Considerations

Binary Data Structure: Each option creates a 0/1 variable:

Respondent Option_1 Option_2 Option_3 Option_4
User_001 1 0 1 1
User_002 0 1 1 0
User_003 1 1 0 1

📊 Analysis Approaches

  • Frequency analysis (% selecting each option)
  • Co-occurrence analysis (options selected together)
  • Total selections per respondent
  • None selected analysis

FAQs

Q: How is data stored for multiple answer questions?

A: Most platforms store each option as a separate binary variable (0/1). For example, Q2 with 5 options creates Q2_1, Q2_2, Q2_3, Q2_4, Q2_5. Some platforms use comma-separated values ("1,3,5").

Q: Can I set minimum or maximum number of selections?

A: Yes, but this is configured in the target platform after conversion. For example, Qualtrics allows "Request response" with "Select at least 2" or "Select at most 5" validation.

Q: Should I randomize option order?

A: Randomization is platform-specific and should be enabled after conversion to avoid order bias, especially for awareness or preference questions.

Q: How do I handle "Other (please specify)" with text input?

A: Include "Other" as a standard checkbox option in Pirai AI. After conversion, use the platform's native "Other with text box" feature if available.

Q: Can respondents skip the question without selecting anything?

A: Yes, unless you make the question required in the target platform. Consider including "None of the above" or "Prefer not to answer" as explicit options.

Q: What's the difference between "Select all that apply" and "Check all that apply"?

A: No functional difference - both indicate multiple selections are allowed. "Select all" is more common in online surveys, while "Check all" references physical checkboxes.

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