Best questions for citizen survey about public spending priorities

Here are some of the best questions for a citizen survey about public spending priorities, plus tips on how to craft them for real insight. If you want to build your own survey in just seconds, you can use Specific to effortlessly generate your survey with a couple of clicks.

Best open-ended questions for citizen surveys on public spending priorities

Open-ended questions are essential for getting detailed, nuanced feedback. They let people express their real views without constraints, helping reveal what truly matters to them—especially when public opinions can vary widely by region and demographic. For instance, surveys show that approximately two-thirds of Americans believe the government spends too little on Social Security and education, but that changes with the topic and context. [1] By allowing respondents to elaborate in their own words, you learn not just what they think, but why.

Here are ten open-ended questions that work especially well in a citizen survey about public spending priorities:

1. What do you think should be the government’s top priority when allocating public funds, and why?

2. Are there areas where you believe the government is spending too much? Please explain which and why.

3. Which services or sectors deserve increased investment? What impact do you think more funding would have?

4. Can you describe a recent situation where you felt public funds were used inefficiently?

5. Are there public programs or projects you wish received more attention or resources? Tell us more.

6. What trade-offs do you think the government should consider when deciding its budget?

7. How well do you feel the current public spending aligns with your community’s needs?

8. What is one change you would like to see in how the government manages public spending?

9. When it comes to reducing spending, which sectors (if any) would you cut first, and what risks do you see?

10. If the government had extra funds, which issue or sector would you prioritize, and how would you allocate the money?

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for citizen surveys about public spending priorities

Single-select multiple-choice questions are perfect when you need clear, quantifiable data, or want to make it easy for respondents to start the conversation. These are great for quickly gauging overall sentiment or ranking options before diving deeper with follow-ups. Sometimes, it’s just easier for people to pick from a shortlist than to come up with words from scratch—particularly when dealing with complex, technical, or sensitive issues. For example, a Eurobarometer survey found that 55% of Europeans advocate increased government spending on family policies, while almost 80% want greater investment in social support—insights you can better quantify with this method. [2]

Question: Which of the following should be the highest public spending priority for your country?

• Healthcare

• Education

• Infrastructure (roads, transport, etc.)

• Social support / welfare

• Environmental protection

• Other

Question: When it comes to budget cuts, which sector do you believe should face reductions first?

• Defense / military

• Foreign aid

• Subsidies to businesses

• Administrative costs / government operations

• None of these should be cut

Question: How satisfied are you with current public spending on healthcare?

• Very satisfied

• Somewhat satisfied

• Neutral

• Somewhat dissatisfied

• Very dissatisfied

When to followup with "why?" Whenever a respondent chooses a strong opinion (such as “very dissatisfied” or selecting a priority), it’s helpful to ask them why they feel that way. This simple follow-up unlocks deeper motivation, leading to richer data and more actionable feedback. For example, if a citizen selects “Healthcare” as a spending priority, asking “Why do you feel healthcare should be the top priority?” helps you get from statistics to real stories.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? Include "Other" when your list of options might not cover the full variety of opinions, or if you expect unique or minority viewpoints. Following up on “Other” lets people clarify—and often leads to unexpected insights you might miss otherwise.

Using NPS-style questions for public spending surveys

NPS (Net Promoter Score) isn’t just for customer satisfaction—it’s a quick way to measure how citizens feel about their government’s performance in managing public spending. NPS-type questions help you compress complex satisfaction levels into a clear, actionable metric, while enabling open-text follow-ups for richer context. When so many people feel their government spends too much on certain sectors (e.g., nearly 70% of Americans think foreign aid spending is too high), it’s crucial to benchmark overall trust and satisfaction, and then dig deeper with followups. [1]

Interested in trying this? The NPS question format is easy to add with Specific’s survey builder, and you can create an NPS survey for citizens about public spending priorities in seconds.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions are the backbone of conversational surveys, and the key to getting complete, context-rich answers. We wrote more about this in our guide to automated followups. Whatever the topic, the most revealing insights usually come from a simple, relevant follow-up: it transforms a surface-level answer into a real conversation.

What sets Specific apart is that our platform’s AI asks smart, real-time follow-ups, just like an expert interviewer—no manual setup required. These follow-ups react to each user’s exact wording, clarifying ambiguous responses or inviting them to expand where useful. That’s a game changer—especially when it would otherwise take several emails just to clarify one answer. The survey feels natural; people stay engaged, and you receive the precise data you need.

• Citizen: "I think we spend too much on government operations."

• AI follow-up: "Can you share which specific government operations you feel are overfunded, or any examples that stand out?"

How many followups to ask? You don’t need to go overboard—2–3 contextually relevant follow-ups per question are typically enough. With Specific, you can set the maximum depth and allow people to skip to the next question as soon as you’ve got what you need.

This makes it a conversational survey: Every answer is met with curiosity, allowing people to elaborate and clarify—so it feels more like an interview than a form.

Easy response analysis: The amount of open-text feedback can be intimidating, but with AI-powered survey response analysis from Specific, you can instantly group, summarize, and chat about themes in your data. No more wading through giant spreadsheets to spot actionable trends.

We encourage you to generate a survey and experience conversational AI followups. This new approach streamlines feedback and breaks through the barriers that traditional surveys face.

How to prompt ChatGPT (or other GPTs) to generate citizen survey questions on public spending

If you prefer to brainstorm survey questions with an AI assistant, the structure and context of your prompt matter. Here’s how to get better results from ChatGPT or similar tools.

For a basic list, you can start with:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for citizen survey about public spending priorities.

But you’ll always get better questions if you explain more about your situation, your goals, or any survey constraints. For example:

We're designing a survey for urban residents to understand their true priorities regarding government spending, focusing on healthcare, education, infrastructure, and social support. Please suggest 10 open-ended questions that will let us dig into individual motivations and concerns, phrased in simple, friendly language.

Once you have a draft list, try asking:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Pick the categories you want to focus on, then prompt:

Generate 10 questions for categories Healthcare, Infrastructure, and Social Support.

This layered approach—prime, categorize, and explore in depth—produces better, more targeted surveys, and works beautifully in tools like the Specific AI survey builder as well.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey transforms the traditional questionnaire into a real-time, AI-driven interview. Instead of filling out forms, respondents chat with an AI that asks smart follow-ups, adapts its language, and explores their answers deeply—just like a live, expert interviewer would. This is what makes survey experiences in Specific genuinely engaging for both creators and respondents, surfacing context and insight that would otherwise be missed.

Why use AI for citizen surveys? AI survey generation means you can go from prompt to finished, expert-grade survey in a fraction of the time. Instead of wrestling with forms, you simply describe your goal, let the AI generate questions (including complex logic), and then share your survey instantly—plus, AI-powered analysis makes turning answers into insight easier than ever. For public spending priorities—influenced by culture, local context, and shifting needs—no manual template or form-builder can match this adaptability. If you want to see how this works, check out our guide on how to create a citizen survey for public spending.

We’ve made sure Specific delivers the best-in-class experience in conversational surveys. For respondents, it feels natural, friendly, and quick. For creators and analysts, feedback is richer, more actionable, and fun to work with.

See this public spending priorities survey example now

It’s the easiest way to discover what citizens really think, leveraging conversational AI to capture deeper, actionable insights. See how effortless survey building and instant analysis can reshape your approach—generate your public spending priorities survey today!