32 Interest Survey Questions to Boost Your Engagement

Explore 25 sample interest survey questions to discover effective ways to engage your audience and enhance your next interest survey project.

Interest Survey Questions template

heysurvey.io

Interest survey questions are the heartbeat of any killer marketing, HR, education, or product strategy.

Whether you call it an interest questionnaire, an interest poll, or a question of interest, you use these tools to uncover what really makes your audience tick.

Brands and teams like yours use them to spark sky-high engagement, shape content, and segment audiences with the help of an online survey maker.

Popular uses you’re probably curious about include the employee interest survey, product interest survey, and student interest surveys, along with personal and event polling that keeps things surprisingly fun.

In this article, you’ll get specific, ready-to-use examples for six major survey types, plus pro tips, so you can start crafting surveys that get results (and maybe even a few smiles).

Personal Interest Surveys (General Consumer Profiling)

Why & When to Use This Survey Type

If you want to truly know your audience, you’ve got to ask the right questions, because no one wants to serve up the wrong playlist at the marketing party. A personal interest survey helps you peek into people’s passions and preferences before any big campaign, savvy list-building, or blog content brainstorm. If you're interested in tailoring your approach to specific contexts—such as improving communication or understanding personal dynamics—you might consider exploring relationship survey questions as well.

  • Great for marketers who need that magical buyer persona data.

  • Bloggers hunting for new hot topics to survey people on, or anyone trying to understand readers.

  • Spot-on before launching a product, planning newsletters, or tailoring content calendars.

With a crafty interests questionnaire, you find out what your people love, what is trending, and how to meet your target audience on their turf. Here’s the thing: a little curiosity goes a long way when you plan your next big thing.

5 Sample Questions to Include

  1. Which hobbies or leisure activities do you spend the most time on each week?

  2. What online communities or social platforms do you visit daily?

  3. Rate your interest in the following topics (travel, tech, fitness, DIY) on a scale of 1-5.

  4. What motivates you to try a new product or service?

  5. Which content formats do you prefer: videos, podcasts, blogs, or newsletters?

SEO Writing Notes

Interests questionnaire tools like these are not just for fun, because they make your marketing sharper and your content more clickable. Plus, by using a personal interest survey, you push past bland demographics and curate content that keeps people coming back.

Your only problem is that you might end up with too many great ideas to choose from, which is not the worst problem to have. On top of that, do not forget that every question of interest brings you closer to your best-fit audience.

Survey topic interest strongly predicts participation, since people are significantly more likely to complete a survey on topics that interest them, especially when no monetary incentive is offered Public Opinion Quarterly, 2004

interest survey questions example

How to Create Your Survey with HeySurvey in 3 Easy Steps

You’re just a few clicks away from launching your custom survey using HeySurvey! No prior experience needed — simply follow these step-by-step instructions, and you can start from the template right below with our online survey tool.

Step 1: Create a New Survey

Begin by clicking the Start from Template button below these instructions (or choose to start from scratch if you prefer). If you aren’t logged in, no worries — you can begin creating your survey right away and only need to sign up when you’re ready to publish and review results.

Step 2: Add and Customize Questions

Once you’re in the Survey Editor, you’ll see options to Add Question at the top or between existing questions. Choose from different question types such as multiple-choice, text, scale (including NPS), file upload, and more. Select the question type that best fits your survey needs.

  • For each question, enter the question text.
  • Add descriptions for more context, mark questions as required if necessary, and personalize using images or markdown formatting.
  • Don’t forget you can duplicate, remove, or rearrange questions for a smooth flow.

Step 3: Review and Publish

Click the Preview button to see how your survey will appear to respondents. Once you’re satisfied, hit Publish. You’ll need to create a free HeySurvey account at this stage if you haven’t already. After publishing, you’ll receive a link to share your survey directly, or you can embed it on your website.


Bonus Steps for a Professional Touch

  • Apply Your Branding: Go to the Branding or Designer sections to add your logo, change colors, or upload background images to match your brand style.
  • Define Survey Settings: Adjust options like response limits, start/end dates, completion redirects, and whether respondents can view results.
  • Add Branching: For customized survey experiences, click on any question to set up branching logic, allowing different questions based on previous answers.

Ready to create your survey? Click the button below to start with a template now!

Employee Interest Surveys (Workplace Engagement & Culture)

Why & When to Use This Survey Type

Your employees aren’t robots, even if some of them only boot up after coffee. That is why a regular employee interest survey is priceless for workplace engagement and building a real culture that people actually feel part of.

When you ask your team about their interests, you are telling them, “Hey, we care about YOU,” and that simple act makes them feel seen and heard.

  • Run quarterly to see what is working in team-building, professional growth, and wellness.

  • Perfect for shaping future programs, benefits, and even those crowd-pleaser company parties.

  • Helps HR spot disengagement early and offer perks that actually get used.

Do not forget, every interests questionnaire for employees you send should spark new ideas for keeping your workplace buzzing. Plus, nobody wants to waste money or effort on wellness initiatives that flop.

For more inspiration, you can explore sociology research survey questions that uncover patterns in group interests and motivations—useful for designing your own employee interest survey.

5 Sample Questions

  1. Which skill-development workshops are you most interested in attending this year?

  2. How appealing are the following wellness initiatives: onsite yoga, mental-health days, gym stipend?

  3. What volunteer or CSR activities would you like our company to support?

  4. Which communication channels (Slack, email, in-person) do you prefer for company news?

  5. Rate your interest in flexible work options such as compressed weeks or remote Fridays.

SEO Writing Notes

Ask these questions, and you learn what your people actually want, so you can spend less time guessing and more time celebrating. On top of that, an employee interest survey becomes your secret ingredient for a happy, high-performing workplace.

Use an interests questionnaire for employees often, and do not be afraid to mix it up each time to keep it fresh and useful. Plus, you might discover that your quietest employee dreams of leading a lunchtime ukulele band, which would make your next company event pretty unforgettable.

Thoughtfully designed and actioned employee interest surveys significantly enhance engagement by providing structured insight into what employees value, guiding meaningful workplace improvements (Gallup)

Student Interest Surveys (K-12 & Higher-Ed)

Why & When to Use This Survey Type

Student interest surveys are your secret sauce for keeping classes lively and lessons fresh. When you know what truly excites your students, you can plan everything from core lessons to after-school clubs in a way that makes you look like the “cool” teacher.

  • Use this at the semester’s start to shake off the summer cobwebs and get every student engaged.

  • Rely on it to tailor lessons, guide career counseling, and pick which extracurriculars will really grab students’ attention.

  • Turn differentiation into a breeze and give student motivation a serious boost with these interest surveys for students.

Plus, when your interest questionnaire for students saves you from running an empty chess club, you can give yourself a quiet high-five.

5 Sample Questions

  1. Which subjects (STEM, arts, humanities) excite you the most and why?

  2. What extracurricular activities would you join if offered?

  3. How do you like to learn: group projects, lectures, hands-on labs, or online modules?

  4. List three careers you’re curious about exploring.

  5. Rate your interest in service-learning or community-based projects.

SEO Writing Notes

By using student interest surveys, you reveal hidden talents and give each learner a voice. When you ask your interest questionnaire for students with care and curiosity, you not only guide their choices, you also uncover the “best topics for survey” that can inspire their futures.

Here’s the thing, next year’s star robotics club leader might be the quiet kid doodling in the back row right now.

Product Interest Surveys (Market Validation & Feature Prioritization)

Why & When to Use This Survey Type

Nothing is more risky or expensive than launching a product without feedback from real people.

That is where a product interest survey swoops in to save your day and your budget.

  • Use it before building an MVP, or when you are deciding which dazzling new features to roll out first.

  • Use it during beta launches or before big pivots so you invest only in what your audience really wants.

  • A questionnaire asking various questions about people’s interest in a product gives you the power to say “no” to expensive guessing games.

Here is the thing: it is tempting to trust your gut, but your gut cannot beat a focused survey of your actual users and their burning desires.

5 Sample Questions

Use these questions to test real demand before you commit.

  1. How likely are you to purchase a product that solves [specific pain point]?

  2. Which feature set is most important: cost savings, convenience, sustainability, or speed?

  3. Rank the following price ranges based on your willingness to pay.

  4. Which brands do you currently use for [category], and what do you wish they did better?

  5. How soon would you adopt a product like this: immediately, within 3 months, 6,12 months, never?

If you’re looking for inspiration on how to structure your product interest survey, reviewing some sociology research survey questions can provide valuable context for effective data collection.

SEO Writing Notes

Your product interest survey is like a flashlight in the fog of market uncertainty.

Each questionnaire asking various questions about people’s interest in a product helps you cut through the noise, highlight must-have features, and figure out if the competition is secretly the cool kid at lunch.

Plus, you can ask, refine, launch, and repeat as needed until you are truly wowing your audience.

Using MaxDiff (best,worst scaling) in product interest surveys yields a reliable ranked list of user-preferred features with smaller sample sizes, reducing respondent burden , source

Event & Webinar Interest Polls

Why & When to Use This Survey Type

You want to host a packed event or webinar that’s the talk of the town (or, well, Zoom), right?

Send an interest poll to your invite list before the big day so you know exactly what they want.

  • It helps you pick the right topics, format, and session length, all before you spend a penny on name tags or breakout rooms.

  • Use it for conferences, brown-bag lunch-and-learns, virtual summits, and anything with RSVPs attached.

  • A small survey of interest up front can prevent empty seats, whether they are literal or virtual.

Guests love being asked, and you get max buy-in instead of awkward crickets, which is a win for everyone’s social anxiety.

5 Sample Questions

You can start simple with a few focused questions that guide your planning.

Here are five you can copy, tweak, and send today for record-breaking attendance.

  1. Which session lengths do you prefer: 20, 45, or 60 minutes?

  2. Rank the following themes for our next webinar series.

  3. What time of day best fits your schedule for live events?

  4. Would you pay for premium Q&A or networking add-ons?

  5. Which speaker profiles interest you most: industry execs, practitioners, or academics?

SEO Writing Notes

An interest poll is your best bet for record-breaking attendance on game day, even if the “game” is a slide deck and a chat box.

On top of that, every smart survey of interest quietly boosts engagement before your first slide even appears.

Your audience will feel seen because you asked, and you will breeze through planning with fewer surprises.

Here’s the thing, the only wildcard may be that entire panel Q&A, but by then you are ready for anything.

Course & Training Topic Interest Questionnaires

Why & When to Use This Survey Type

Designing a new course or learning series? Don’t guess; ask your learners first.

A solid interest questionnaire before you start development keeps your curriculum practical and exciting, like a “choose your adventure” story for grownup learning.

  • Used by L&D teams, coaches, and online course creators when you want to build what people genuinely want to learn.

  • Ensures your training fits both learner demand and perceived value, so you are not building great content that no one actually needs.

  • Helps surface the best topics for survey so you invest only in content with real interest instead of wishful thinking.

On top of that, when learners feel their input drives content, they are more likely to finish your course and rave about it to others.

5 Sample Questions

  1. Which of the following certification paths interests you most this year?

  2. How do you rate your current skill level in [topic]: beginner, intermediate, or advanced?

  3. What is your preferred learning schedule: self-paced, weekly live sessions, or weekend bootcamp?

  4. What outcome would make a course worth your investment?

  5. Which obstacles prevent you from enrolling: time, cost, confidence, or unclear value?

SEO Writing Notes

A smart interest questionnaire sets your training and your marketing up for success.

Use feedback to highlight the best topics for survey, boost perceived ROI, and fill your classes without a salesy hard push.

Plus, you get to be known as the savvy instructor who “just gets it,” which is much more fun than chasing enrollments one by one.

Market Opportunity Interest Polls (Macro Trend Spotting)

Why & When to Use This Survey Type

Curious about what’s next? You can spot underserved needs and jump on fresh market opportunities by running a market opportunity interest poll.

  • Perfect for early-stage research when you’re hunting for the next big thing.

  • Guides product teams and content strategists toward niche ideas and new angles.

  • Uncovers how real people respond to what’s trending, so you do not have to pretend you own a crystal ball.

With a handy survey of interest, you can avoid building products for trends that fizzle and instead ride the ones that are about to explode.

5 Sample Questions

  1. Which emerging trends are you eager to see solutions for in the next 12 months?

  2. How strongly does sustainability influence your buying decisions?

  3. What daily challenges do you struggle to solve with current market options?

  4. How open are you to trying startups versus established brands?

  5. Which tech advancements (AI, AR/VR, IoT) interest you enough to pay a premium for?

SEO Writing Notes

Here's the thing: nothing says industry insider like running a crisp market opportunity interest poll.

Use your findings to choose the right topics to survey people on, find hot new niches, and refine your next survey of interest.

On top of that, you will remember this every time a launch goes well, because the smartest launches start with a single smart question.

Dos and Don’ts for High-Impact Interest Surveys (Best Practices)

Let’s make your surveys irresistible and insightful so people actually want to fill them out.

High-impact interest survey questions are just as much about what you avoid as what you ask.

  • Do: Keep questions concise and easy to scan.

  • Do: Mix closed (ratings, yes/no) and open questions (“tell us more…”).

  • Do: Segment by demographics so you get context, not confusion.

  • Do: Pilot test your survey on a small group first.

  • Do: Always respect data privacy and explain how responses will be used.

  • Don’t: Jam two ideas into one question (double-barreled = double trouble).

  • Don’t: Lead people to “the answer you want” with loaded phrasing.

  • Don’t: List so many choices that people quit halfway through.

  • Don’t: Ignore mobile design, because most people will answer on their phones.

  • Don’t: Forget to send a “thanks and here’s what we learned” message to respondents.

  • Pro tips: Keep your survey under 10 minutes and, on top of that, offer bonuses like entry into a prize draw or add a playful progress bar for higher completion rates, since people love seeing that little bar move.

You now hold the keys to insightful interest questionnaire creation, and you are more prepared than most survey creators out there.

Whether you’re launching the next big thing, rebooting your culture, or just getting to know your people, tailor these questions and best practices to your unique crowd and watch genuine engagement soar.

Best Practices & Dos and Don’ts for Crafting High-Impact Interest Survey Questions

You are about to tap into best practices for interest surveys that actually give you answers you can use.

You want people to breeze through your questions, not bail out from boredom or confusion.

Dos

  • Keep surveys short so you can get in, get the gold, and get out.

  • Use neutral language so you do not accidentally push people toward certain responses.

  • Always give options that are mutually exclusive so no one has to guess where their answer fits.

  • Pilot test on a small group first to catch confusing wording or missing choices.

  • Personalize with logic branching so you only ask what matters most to each person.

Don’ts

  • Avoid leading questions like “You like snacks, right?” because they put words in people’s mouths.

  • Do not use double-barreled questions, and pick one idea per question so answers stay clean.

  • Ditch jargon so every question stays crystal clear for everyone.

  • Never force sensitive questions to be mandatory, since that can scare people away.

  • Do not overwhelm people with too many rating options or huge lists that feel like a pop quiz.

For boosting response rates, you have a few simple wins.

On top of that, they are easy to put into action.

  • Use mobile-friendly interest survey templates so people can respond anywhere.

  • Offer a little incentive, even if it is just a thank-you message or small reward.

  • Always include a clear privacy statement, because people really do care about their data.

Here is the thing: once results roll in, visualize them with easy charts or dashboards so you can spot trends in a flash.

Plus, you get to feel a bit like a data detective without needing a magnifying glass.

When you analyze survey of interest data effectively, you move from insights to action fast.

No more guessing games, and no more dusty spreadsheets full of mystery numbers.

You are ready to dig up what sparks passion in your brand, class, or team.

Use these interest survey questions, adapt them to your needs, and test, test, test so your questions keep getting better.

The better your questions, the brighter your next big move.

Collect what counts, act on the results, and watch engagement soar!

Related Miscellaneous Surveys

31 Sociology Research Survey Questions for Effective Data Collection
31 Sociology Research Survey Questions for Effective Data Collection

Explore 30+ sociology research survey questions with practical examples covering demographics, at...

30 Relationship Survey Questions to Strengthen Your Bond
30 Relationship Survey Questions to Strengthen Your Bond

Discover 30 insightful relationship survey questions with sample quizzes to boost partner satisfa...

Ready to create your own survey?

Start from scratch
Saved
FAIL