Best questions for civil servant survey about public feedback on new regulations

Here are some of the best questions for a civil servant survey about public feedback on new regulations, plus tips on how to create them. If you want to generate your own survey instantly, Specific makes it simple with just a few clicks.

Best open-ended questions for feedback on new regulations

Open-ended questions let people voice their real opinions—they're great when you want honest, detailed feedback that isn't limited by predefined options. These questions work best if you're looking to dig deep and learn the "why" behind public reactions.

Despite a higher nonresponse rate—sometimes as high as 18% to 50% compared to just 1-2% for closed-ended questions—these open prompts regularly deliver valuable qualitative data. In fact, a study showed that 76% of survey participants added one or more comments when given the opportunity, proving that when people care, they do share more[1][2].

Here are 10 open-ended questions civil servants can use to understand public feedback on new regulations:

1. What concerns, if any, do you have about the new regulations introduced?

2. How do the new regulations affect your daily life or work?

3. Which aspects of the new regulations do you find most beneficial?

4. Are there any parts of the regulations you believe are confusing or unclear?

5. Tell us about any unintended consequences these regulations might cause in your community.

6. Have you noticed positive changes since these regulations were implemented? Please describe.

7. What would you change or improve in the current regulations?

8. How do you think these regulations compare to previous policies?

9. Do you feel your feedback and concerns have been considered in the regulatory process? Why or why not?

10. Is there anything else you’d like us to know about your experience with the new regulations?

For practical advice on structuring questions, check our how-to guide on survey creation.

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for civil servant surveys

Single-select multiple-choice questions shine when you want to quantify sentiment or make it easier for respondents to participate—especially effective as survey starters when respondents might otherwise hesitate or feel overwhelmed by free-text. These questions reduce the barriers to engagement and help uncover major trends, which can later be explored in depth with followups or open-ended questions.

Question: How positive is your overall opinion of the new regulations?

• Very positive

• Somewhat positive

• Neutral

• Somewhat negative

• Very negative

Question: How clearly did you understand the main objectives of the new regulations before they were implemented?

• Very clearly

• Somewhat clearly

• Not very clearly

• Not at all clearly

Question: Which area of your life do the new regulations impact the most?

• Work

• Home life

• Public services

• Other

When to followup with "why?" Always use a followup question like, "Can you tell us why you answered this way?"—especially when a respondent selects an extreme or ambiguous response. This quickly moves the conversation from a simple score to meaningful context. For example, if someone answers "Very negative" regarding their opinion, a followup “Why do you feel this way?” uncovers specifics for targeted improvements.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? Always include "Other" when your answer list might not cover every scenario or when new, unexpected themes could emerge. With followup, this helps uncover unique perspectives you wouldn’t have known to ask about in the first place.

Should you use an NPS question?

NPS (Net Promoter Score) is a proven tool for gauging whether the public feels so positive about new regulations that they'd recommend them to others. By asking, "On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend these regulations to friends, family, or colleagues?"—then following up for reasons—you unlock clear, comparable data on sentiment and drivers. It’s especially helpful for benchmarking changes in public trust or satisfaction over time, and correlates well with long-term engagement trends in government programs. If you need a ready-to-use NPS survey, try this NPS survey generator for regulations feedback.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions take a basic survey and turn it into a conversation. According to research, using a follow-up design for open-ended prompts doesn’t just get longer answers—it actually surfaces more underlying themes that static designs usually miss[4]. At Specific, we've made this effortless. Our platform uses AI-powered followup questions, automatically probing deeper on ambiguous, short, or especially interesting responses, just like a skilled researcher would do in real time.

• Civil Servant: "The new regulations are a problem for my work."

• AI follow-up: "Could you share more about how the regulations create challenges in your job?"

This helps you avoid incomplete or unclear answers and gathers the actual stories behind the numbers.

How many followups to ask? Generally, two or three targeted follow-ups are enough to get the most important insights without causing fatigue. And if someone already provides a full answer, the AI knows to move on—saving time and keeping respondents engaged. In Specific, you can easily set these rules.

This makes it a conversational survey: It’s not just a form—it’s a living, conversational survey experience that feels natural and engaging, keeping respondents actively involved from start to finish.

Easy AI response analysis: Even with all this raw, open-ended data, you don’t need to worry—AI-driven tools like ours can instantly analyze responses, tag themes, and summarize insights, making it easy to extract trends from unstructured feedback.

These automated follow-up questions are a new concept—try generating a survey with Specific to see the improvement in quality firsthand.

How to write prompts for ChatGPT (or any GPT) to create great civil servant survey questions

Want to leverage AI directly when brainstorming questions? Start with a broad prompt, then refine iteratively for better results.

If you want a quick list, start with:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for Civil Servant survey about Public Feedback On New Regulations.

But you’ll get far better output if you clarify your audience, your goals, and relevant context, like this:

I am a government employee designing a survey for civil servants to gather public feedback on recently implemented regulations. Our goal is to identify concerns, clarify any confusing points, and find suggestions for improvement. Can you suggest 10 open-ended questions that would encourage thoughtful, detailed responses?

To organize the output, follow up with this:

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

Then, you can zero in on what’s truly important—if "Communication," "Impact," and "Suggestions for Improvement" are your chosen categories, prompt again:

Generate 10 questions for categories Communication, Impact, and Suggestions for Improvement.

This approach is fast, flexible, and ensures your survey fits your real objective every time.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey mimics a real dialogue: each question is delivered one at a time, with AI "listening" and responding with followups when it detects ambiguity or opportunity for insight. Unlike traditional surveys, which can feel stiff or generic, a conversational survey (especially when AI-driven) adapts in real time—just like a good interviewer. If you want to experience this, check out our interactive demos.

Building a survey with our AI survey generator is a game-changer. The AI pulls from expert templates, reuses logic you can edit in plain language (AI survey editor), instantly suggests followups, and even translates your survey if needed—massively reducing the manual effort and mental strain of classic form-based tools.

Why use AI for civil servant surveys? Using an AI survey maker lets you tap into best-in-class experience—surveys are smarter, faster, and much more pleasant for both the creators and people completing them. With Specific’s conversational AI surveys, responses feel like a chat, which naturally boosts both participation and the quality of answers, as people are more comfortable with messaging than with classic forms. For a step-by-step, see our guide to creating a civil servant survey.

See this public feedback on new regulations survey example now

Create a conversational survey about public feedback on new regulations in seconds and uncover insights you can actually use—without the hassle. Try it and experience a smoother, more effective way to engage your audience and analyze results effortlessly.