Creating an Anonymous Survey

Definition: An anonymous survey is an effective and convenient way to gather feedback without identifying respondents. Anonymity is achieved by not collecting or storing personal data such as IP addresses, location, device information, or submission timestamps. Responses can be gathered through a web link, QR code, or, in some cases, a specialized email collector. Anonymous surveys are especially common in settings like employee evaluations, instructor reviews, and course feedback.

Drafting your survey questions is the most crucial step when creating an anonymous survey. Don't include questions that will directly identify a respondent, such as asking for their email or name. Indirectly identifying respondents is also a concern, so keep questions focused on high-level topics and overall experiences instead of asking for details about things like projects being worked on.

When asking for specifics such as employee department, make these multiple-choice questions instead of open-ended and include an option like "I do not wish to answer." This gives someone the ability to opt out of answering certain questions while still being able to collect important information. It also increases trust with respondents, as they see a question that does not corner them into submitting personal identifying information.

If your form does include questions about an employee's department or something similar, consider the number of people in each department. If only a few people are in a department, either don't include it as an option or group it with another general department. This also reduces the risk of being able to identify respondents indirectly.

Include at least one open-ended question asking for ways to improve or general comments while reiterating not to enter details that can be used for identification. Open-ended questions are an excellent way to find areas of improvement that may not be included in the survey.

A Net Promoter Score question should be a staple of an anonymous survey, as the data can be benchmarked internally and externally; personal identifying information is not needed to establish these benchmarks. Generally, this question type should be the first question in your form. 

Lastly, be sure to include an introduction to your survey explaining the purpose of the study and the methodologies used to protect identities. The instructions should state not to submit personal information. This section should also include an opt-out for people who don't wish to participate in the survey.

Collecting responses for anonymous surveys can be done in several ways, such as using an anonymous link or a specialized email collector. The best method depends on your project’s goals—links are simple and easily shareable, while email collectors provide a more controlled distribution. On the SurveyKing platform, every anonymous survey includes a visible seal at the top of the form, reassuring respondents that their identities are protected. This transparency fosters trust and encourages more honest, uninhibited feedback.

What sets SurveyKing apart is its strict approach to data privacy—or more accurately, its refusal to collect certain data altogether. The platform deliberately avoids storing IP addresses, device types, locations, or even submission timestamps. This isn’t just a convenience; it’s a commitment to true anonymity, making it far more difficult for survey authors to trace responses back to individuals. While other tools may retain hidden metadata that could potentially be used for identification, SurveyKing’s design puts privacy front and center.

In contrast, many other survey platforms offer only partial anonymity. Some merely allow users to disable specific features like location or device tracking, while still storing other identifiable information such as email addresses or submission dates—even when “anonymous mode” is enabled. These traces can be enough for authors to infer who submitted what.

A standout feature of SurveyKing is the ability to include a passcode field while still preserving complete anonymity. This is especially valuable for scenarios like union surveys, where ensuring each member submits only one valid response is crucial. When passcodes are entered in an anonymous survey, they are never visible to the survey author—maintaining respondent privacy.

The anonymous survey link is the simplest way to gather confidential responses. Simply copy the link and include it in an email or post it on social media. You can also create a QR code from the anonymous link, a common distribution method for projects like union surveys.

The anonymous survey link will be in the distribution section of the survey builder. You can customize the URL ending and enable various options, such as response edition. By default, only one response per device can be collected using the anonymous link. To ensure anonymity, only one anonymous link is available per survey.

The anonymous email collector is ideal for employee or academic surveys. You can upload a list of respondents and send an email invitation. The benefit of this method is that the system will automatically track who has completed the survey or not. You won't have access to see which respondents have or have not completed the form, only a button that says, "Send Reminders."

To ensure anonymity, there is only one anonymous email collector per survey. If you wanted to send out a new campaign, such as a second-round employee survey, you would want to click the "Clear Messages" button. This will reset the anonymous email collector. Note: This will NOT delete survey responses.

Anonymous surveys are used in a wide variety of projects. Below are some examples. The SurveyKing platform includes anonymous surveys for free with up to thirty responses. This allows you to test the platform fully to ensure it meets your project requirements.

One of the most common uses for anonymous surveys is to capture honest employee feedback. Anonymous employee surveys can encourage new ideas, increase productivity, and reduce turnover. SurveyKing allows you to run anonymous surveys quarterly or annually, helping your organization benchmark and compare results over time.

Labor union surveys are often used during contract negotiations. The data is critical to securing the best contract; every response counts.  An anonymous survey may ease employee concerns about giving honest feedback, helping to increase response rates.

Unique to SurveyKing is the ability to add a passcode while protecting identities. The passcode can be in multiple fields, including the member ID and birthday. This ensures that responses are not double-counted, thereby eliminating ballot box stuffing. The submitted passcodes will not be available to the survey author in any results or exports.

Anonymous surveys are a perfect way to capture feedback from university students. Researchers can also use anonymous academic surveys in K-12 to evaluate courses, faculty peer reviews, and parent feedback forms. Schools can use the data from anonymous surveys to improve the learning experience or even identify new after-school activities.

You might need to interview at-risk groups, such as immigrants. Anonymous surveys are a perfect way to collect valuable feedback while protecting the group's identities. These groups are often unfamiliar with online survey tools, so seeing the anonymous seal on surveys gives them the confidence needed to provide honest feedback.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating an anonymous survey:

• Before sending the survey, convey to your respondents that it is anonymous, how identities are protected, what the data will be used for, and that the SurveyKing system is being used. When your employees know an external company is handling the survey, they may feel more comfortable giving their opinions. Many anonymous surveys, specifically employee surveys, fail to include methodologies used or further explanations on anonymity, leading to distrust.
• In the email that contains the survey link, include wording about taking the survey on a personal device; this may help increase trust and boost response rates. This will also increase anonymity as an employer cannot track web traffic on a personal device. The email could also include a QR code so people can quickly access the survey on a personal device.
• In the survey itself, add wording at beginning that the survey is anonymous and any unique steps your company takes to ensure anonymity. Sometimes, research studies may want to ask for a profile along with a submission, such as the Stack Overflow Annual Developer Survey does. In this case, you could use multiple surveys to hide the profile linked to a response. But be sure to communicate precisely how the survey protects identities.
• Ask questions that have been obvious pain points to your organization. For example, what do you think of the recent paid time off policy changes?." With anonymity guaranteed, employees will feel comfortable sharing their true feelings, and your organization can address issues brought to light by candid responses.
• Include question types like MaxDiff or Ranking. These are ideal for anonymous surveys since they help determine preferences; honest preferences will give your organization actionable feedback.

Below are sample questions to help you create an anonymous survey. A scale of 1-5 is ideal for most of these rating questions, although a simple yes or no multiple-choice question could also work.

• I believe in the company's mission
• Leadership puts the company in a position to succeed
• My manager actively supports me
• I have the tools needed to do my job
• My feedback is valued
• How clearly did your instructor explain the course material
• The course design encouraged my participation in the class
• The course was a productive use of my time
• Which part (s) of the training were most useful and why? (open-ended)
• How can we improve our company (open-ended)