How to run a COVID-19 impact survey – 21 questions you should ask

The world’s been turned on its head. The biggest challenge for B2C brands is understanding how to react - get direction with a COVID-19 impact survey.

The world’s been turned on its head. The biggest challenge for B2C brands is understanding how to react – a COVID-19 impact study is one way to get direction.

Attest clients have put out a wide variety of coronavirus surveys in the last week, connecting with consumers the world over to find out how they’re feeling, what they’re experiencing and how that translates into changed consumer behaviour. 

If you’re thinking about reaching out to your audience but aren’t sure what to ask to get the most actionable data, here are examples of real questions we helped our clients put together for a diverse range of coronavirus surveys. These included surveys for supermarkets, holiday brands, alcoholic drinks manufacturers and financial services providers.

Select the survey questions that are most relevant to your business and add in other, more specific questions to create your own bespoke COVID-19 impact survey. For further guidance, our experts from the Attest Customer Research Team are on hand to help you out.

21 Questions to ask in your COVID-19 impact survey

Overall, how has coronavirus impacted your shopping/buying behaviour?

Recommended question type: multiple choice

How has coronavirus impacted your shopping/buying behaviour in regards to [your product or service]?

Recommended question type: multiple choice

Before the current situation, how often did you buy [your product or service]? 

Recommended question type: single choice and a Likert scale for frequency

How often do you think you will buy [your product or service] now?

Recommended question type: single choice and a Likert scale for frequency

How do you expect your expenditure on [your product or service] to change as a result of coronavirus?

Recommended question type: single choice and a Likert scale (i.e. increase/decrease)

What do you think businesses should be doing right now to help people during the pandemic? Please rank options with 1 being most important and 8 being least.

Recommended question type: ranked

What actions would you appreciate from [your product or service] brands specifically?

Recommended question type: open text or multiple choice with ‘other’ enabled as an option

What type of content/messages would you like to see from [your product or service] brands during coronavirus?

Recommended question type: multiple choice

How would you prefer to receive updates from [your brand] during this period?

Recommended question type: multiple choice

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Are there any brands that you think are doing a really GOOD job in terms of their efforts to support people during coronavirus? If so, tell us about them:

Recommended question type: open text with two answer fields (one for the brand’s name, the other for the reason why)

Are there any brands that you think are doing a BAD job of supporting people through the coronavirus? If so, tell us about them:

Recommended question type: open text with two answer fields (one for the brand’s name, the other for the reason why)

Based on [your brand] response to the COVID-19 outbreak, how likely would you be to recommend the brand to a friend?

Recommended question type: Net Promoter Score

How has the coronavirus situation impacted your consumption of the following forms of media? 

Recommended question type: grid listing different media types and a Likert scale for change in consumption (i.e. increased/decreased)

How has the coronavirus situation impacted your use of the following social networks and instant messaging systems? 

Recommended question type: grid listing different social media platforms and a Likert scale for change in use (i.e. increased/decreased)

Have you taken out any of the following types of subscriptions as a result of coronavirus? 

Recommended question type: multiple choice (including an option for your product/service/sector)

Which of the following will you consider a priority in the coming weeks? Please rank options with 1 being most important and 8 being least.

Recommended question type: ranked

Which of the following are you doing MORE of because of coronavirus?

Recommended question type: multiple choice (including activities that relate to your product or service)

Which of the following are you doing of LESS of because of coronavirus?

Recommended question type: multiple choice (including activities that relate to your product or service)

Do you intend on learning or practising any skills while you’re on lockdown? If so, what?


Recommended question type: open text or multiple choice (including an option that relates to your product or service)

What are you most missing doing because of the social distancing rules?

Recommended question type: open text or multiple choice (including an option that relates to your product or service)

What are you most looking forward to doing once social distancing rules have been relaxed?

Recommended question type: open text or multiple choice (including an option that relates to your product or service)

What can a COVID-19 impact survey help you find out?

Through asking consumers these questions – or questions like these – you can anticipate how your sales are likely to change in coming weeks. You can also work out the best distribution channels to reach your customers – maybe it’s time to ramp up D2C?

Beyond sales forecasting, a COVID-19 impact survey can help you understand how to position your brand in the current climate and what sort of brand messages people want to hear (as well as the best ways to reach audiences). Protecting your brand image is important – your actions now could have a long-lasting impact, whether that’s good or bad.

These questions also give you a chance to uncover new opportunities; you can discover how people are spending their time, what they’re interested in right now and how your brand can help them make the best of a difficult situation.

While no brand wants to be seen to be capitalising on a crisis, there will come a time (hopefully in the near future) when life returns to normal – and brands should be ready to join in with the celebrations when it does. 

As marketing agency, BBH says: “Post-COVID-19, there will be lots of small moments that gain new emotional resonance; the first pint back at the pub, the first cup of tea with your gran or getting back to your 5-aside league. Brands can make these moments feel even more special.”

To find out more about running a COVID-19 impact survey, book a chat with one of our experts.

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Bel Booker

Senior Content Writer 

Bel has a background in newspaper and magazine journalism but loves to geek-out with Attest consumer data to write in-depth reports. Inherently nosy, she's endlessly excited to pose questions to Attest's audience of 125 million global consumers. She also likes cake.

See all articles by Bel