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4. Create and edit a survey

 Create and edit a survey
========================

Updated 2 hours ago · 7 min read

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Using surveys to effectively gather community feedback
------------------------------------------------------

Surveys use a predetermined set of questions that are asked to a group of people, or a sample of a group. Survey research is particularly useful when you want to describe or explain the features of a large group or multiple groups, or quickly gather general details about a community.

There are a wide range of survey question types, but the most useful for gathering quantitative and qualitative data are closed questions on specific topics. For more on choosing a question type, see [When to use which survey question type?](/articles/9183117053839-When-to-use-which-survey-question-type)

Create a new survey
-------------------

To create a new survey in a project:

1. In the left-hand menu bar, click **Projects**. This displays a list of all existing projects that you have access to.
2. Click on a project to open it.
3. In the project sub-menu, under **Participation**, click **Surveys**. This display the surveys created for this project.
4. Click the round **+** button at the top right of the screen.
5. Give the survey a **Title**. This will be visible on the public-facing page.
6. Add **Summary** text.
7. Add **Introduction text** which will display above the submission form.
8. To build your survey, click **Add input**, then choose the type of question from the **Input type** list (Radios, Checkboxes, Text short and so on). Once the question is open, **Input type** is the second field, directly under **Question**. It is locked on any survey that already has submissions, with the note *Input type cannot be changed because there are existing submissions.* *For a full list of survey question types and their functions, see [Survey question types](/articles/9183021959439-Survey-question-types).*
9. Fill out the rest of the fields to build your question. Tick **Answer required** if you want this question to be mandatory.
10. Click the button at the foot of the question to save it. On a new question it reads **Add** followed by the question type, for example **Add Radios**; on a question you are editing it reads **Done**.
11. You can sort your inputs into groups (**Add group**), which will help visually differentiate complex surveys for participants. You can also use groups to add conditional formatting for your survey. *For more information about conditional formatting, see further down this page.*
12. Decide whether anyone can respond or only logged-in users, by selecting **Anyone** or **Authenticated** in the **Who can submit** dropdown.
13. Set an **End date** to determine when this Survey will stop accepting new submissions.
14. Select **Save progress automatically** to control whether user progress is automatically saved as they fill out the survey. When disabled, users must complete the survey in a single session.
15. In the settings panel on the right, click **Edit confirmation message** under **Confirmation message** to write the message respondents see after they submit.
16. Once you're finished building your survey, click **Publish.** Add a revision message to describe your changes.
17. You can preview your question formats in the **Preview** tab of the survey page. The preview renders the saved version of the survey with working question controls, so save your changes before you check them there.

![The top of the survey builder form, showing fields for Title, Summary and Introduction text.](https://engage.knowledge.civ.io/storage/aOl7fMo7JEgSArkhPTOFix6PUM4jSjyNfJWInJdk.png)

![Clicking +Add input, choosing a question type, and the resulting question fields appearing in the survey builder.](https://engage.knowledge.civ.io/storage/oAXBHKO2tbZ0kdeMEOlM62yzpJY6AR99bVwtZ8di.gif)

Change the order of survey questions
------------------------------------

To change the order or your survey questions:

1. Navigate to an existing survey and click **Edit**.
2. In front of each question, there is a graphic with **6 dots.** Click on it, to turn it into a grab icon.
3. **Drag and drop** the question into the preferred order.
4. Once you're finished, click **Publish** at the top of the screen.

![A survey question being dragged by its six-dot handle to a new position in the question list.](https://engage.knowledge.civ.io/storage/k5FtfrYEwGyrDR8TOgMkjElzTBFA6hr1N45jkjpu.gif)

Add conditional survey logic
----------------------------

If you have a more complex survey, you may want to add conditional logic to some questions. For example, you may want to show a different follow-up question depending on whether the respondent selected "happy with this service or "unhappy with this service in a previous question.

To add conditional logic to your survey:

1. Navigate to an existing survey and click **Edit**, or create a new survey.
2. Add a new question or click the question you would like to add the conditional logic to. *Note: You will need at least two questions for survey logic to work.*
3. Once the survey question box is open, scroll down and click **+Add condition** to add conditional logic.
4. Click **+Add condition** to add conditional logic. If more than one condition is added, you can set the Condition relationship between them:

    1. If **And** is chosen, then the question will only display if **both** conditions are met.
    2. If **Or** is chosen, then the question will display if **at least one** of the conditions are met.
5. In the dropdown of the **If field name** field, select the survey question that should determine whether this question should appear. In the **Value** field, enter the value that should be entered in the selected question, in order for this question to appear.
6. Click **Done** to add the conditional logic.
7. Once you're finished building your survey, click **Publish** at the top of the screen.

![The conditional-logic panel on a survey question, showing the If field, its Value, and the And/Or relationship control.](https://engage.knowledge.civ.io/storage/HBfrTXxSMTElbjlMPewPFT8OobkmkOcJIfMgKX8T.png)

Duplicate a question
--------------------

To duplicate a question in your survey:

1. Navigate to an existing survey and click **Edit**, or create a new survey.
2. Add a new question or click the question you would like to duplicate.
3. Once the question is open, scroll to the foot of the panel and click the **ellipsis** icon, beside **Done** and **Remove**, then click **Duplicate**. The copy is inserted directly below the original and is named **COPY** followed by the original question title, so rename it in the next step. *Note: if a question is duplicated inside a group, the copy stays inside that group. Groups and proposal questions have no ellipsis menu, so they cannot be duplicated.*
4. Edit the duplicate question as required.
5. Once you're finished building your survey, click **Publish** at the top of the screen.

![An open question in the survey builder, headed Edit input with its Text long type label opposite, the question wording sitting in the Question field, a greyed Input type field noting that it cannot be changed because there are existing submissions, and Answer required and Advanced below it, with the ellipsis menu at the foot of the panel opened beside Done and Remove to show Duplicate, traced.](https://engage.knowledge.civ.io/storage/z8hiPig6dWRhu3HYb7IDa8014SaqmDxPzljmJ9dB.png)

Edit a survey
-------------

To edit an existing survey:

1. In the left-hand menu bar, click **Projects**.
2. Click on a project to open it.
3. In the project sub-menu, under **Participation**, click **Surveys**. This displays all the surveys that exist for this project.
4. When you have selected a survey to edit, click the **ellipsis** at the end of the row to see an extended menu. Click **Edit**.
5. Alternatively, click on the survey you want to edit, then click the **Edit** tab.
6. When you're finished editing, click **Publish**.

![A survey in the surveys list, with its ellipsis menu open and the Edit option highlighted.](https://engage.knowledge.civ.io/storage/eHfmyrcgMwhXvTeVhGq14R6TaVibQMxgqFEFCXbH.png)

Print a survey
--------------

You can print a clean copy of any survey from the admin interface, useful for distributing paper copies at community events, internal review rounds, or any hybrid engagement where some participants prefer to respond offline.

1. Open the survey from the admin interface.
2. Click the **More…** dropdown at the top of the survey page.
3. Select **Print**. Your browser's native print dialog will open, with the survey rendered cleanly and the rest of the site stripped out.
4. Choose your printer (or "Save as PDF") and print.

![The More… dropdown on a survey's admin page, with the Print option highlighted.](https://engage.knowledge.civ.io/storage/t8ZsuCbdfsJN7t9NUSwEwNI1gKLedWmBNy13jf0U.png)

Not every question type and survey setting works well on paper. Before printing, read [Designing a print-friendly survey](/articles/designing-a-print-friendly-survey) for which question types to use, which to avoid, and how to keep multi-page or branching surveys printable.

Delete a survey
---------------

You can delete a survey from a project if it's no longer needed, or was created by mistake. This permanently removes the survey and all its content and cannot be undone. Proceed with caution!

*Note: you may not have delete permissions as part of your role. If you have any questions about your permissions, contact your Civio Engage administrator.*

To delete a survey:

1. In the left-hand menu bar, click **Projects**.
2. Click on a project to open it.
3. In the project sub-menu, under **Participation**, click **Surveys**. This shows all the surveys that already exist for this project.
4. When you have selected a survey to delete, click the **ellipsis** at the end of the row to see an extended menu. Click **Delete**.
5. You'll be prompted with a warning to confirm the action. Click **Yes, Delete this Survey.**
6. Your survey is now deleted.

![The delete confirmation dialog for a survey, warning the action cannot be undone.](https://engage.knowledge.civ.io/storage/1lgpbOSijhoS1HXJE377FJQxRThZWRYXZynocQqV.png)

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