Double-barreled questions: What they are and why they’re a problem

Ever taken a survey and felt stuck on a question? You’re not alone. Chances are, you’ve run into a double-barreled question (DBQ)—one that sneaks two questions into one.

Like this:
“How satisfied are you with our product’s quality and customer service?”

Wait…which one are you asking about? Quality? Service? Both?

Here’s the deal: Clear, focused questions make your data stronger and your respondents happier. When people aren’t sure how to answer, they either guess or abandon the survey altogether—neither of which helps you get useful insights.

The fix? Simple. Ask one thing at a time. Your audience will find it easier to respond, and you’ll avoid getting vague data that doesn’t actually tell you anything.

In this article, we’ll cover what double-barreled questions are, why they’re a problem, and how to avoid them.

What is a double-barreled question?

A double-barreled question tries to ask two things at once but only gives respondents one way to answer. This forces them to choose without knowing exactly what they’re responding to—leading to muddled data.

For example:

“Do you agree that our platform is easy to use and offers great customer support?”

What if someone loves the platform’s usability but thinks support is lacking? Or vice versa? There’s no way to respond to both separately, so their answer becomes a guessing game.

When faced with unclear questions, people either:

• Choose an answer just to move on, giving you unreliable data.
• Abandon the survey altogether, lowering your completion rate.

Both of these are big problems. If your data is messy, you can’t confidently make decisions. Was the low rating because of a product issue? Or was it customer support? The ambiguity forces your team to rely on assumptions instead of actual insights.

The solution? Break questions into separate, focused prompts. A simple tweak, but one that makes a big difference in how you understand and serve your audience.

Why double-barreled questions are a problem

Double-barreled questions don’t just cause minor hiccups—they can throw your entire dataset off. From skewed responses to frustrated customers, these sneaky mistakes ripple through your insights, making it harder to act on feedback.

1. You Get Ambiguous Responses

The biggest issue? You can’t tell which part of the question someone is answering.

Take this:
“How helpful and knowledgeable was our support team?”

If someone rates it a 6 out of 10, what does that mean? Maybe they found the team friendly but lacking answers. Maybe they got the right info but felt the experience was cold. You’re left guessing.

And guessing doesn’t lead to good business decisions.

2. Your data quality takes a hit

Unclear questions = unreliable data.

DBQs force people to pick one answer for multiple ideas, which skews your insights. You might think you’re spotting a pattern, but if that pattern is built on confused responses, it’s not real.

And unreliable data leads to bad decisions. It’s that simple.

3. It frustrates your audience

Surveys are a two-way street. When people take the time to give feedback, they expect clear, thoughtful questions.

But DBQs? They make respondents pause, second-guess, and feel uncertain. That can lead to:

• Survey drop-offs—people quitting halfway through.
• Rushed, inaccurate answers—just to get it over with.

Worse? It affects their perception of your brand. If your survey feels sloppy or hard to answer, they might wonder if your product or service is the same way. Not exactly the impression you want to leave.

How to spot a double-barreled question

The good news? DBQs are easy to catch once you know what to look for. The trick? Watch for sneaky little words like “and” or “or.”

These words are often a dead giveaway that you’re trying to cram two questions into one.

For example:
“Do you agree that our website is easy to navigate and visually appealing?”

Navigation and design are two separate things. Someone might love one but dislike the other. That little “and” just turned this into a double-barreled question.

A simple way to check if your question is double-barreled:
Break it into two separate questions.

Using the example above:
✅ “Do you agree that our website is easy to navigate?”
✅ “Do you agree that our website is visually appealing?”

See how much clearer that is? Now, customers can give accurate, focused answers—no guesswork required.

Get better data by asking better questions

Want clearer insights? Start with clearer questions.

It’s easy to blame poor survey results on indecisive customers or incomplete answers. But sometimes, the issue isn’t the people—it’s the questions themselves.

Double-barreled questions confuse people. And when you strip out the vagueness, you open the door to real, honest feedback. Your respondents feel more at ease answering, and you walk away with insights you can actually trust and use.

At the end of the day, clear questions = clear data. And that clarity? It’s the difference between hoping things improve and actually making them better.

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