This article will guide you on how to create a citizen survey about broadband internet access. With Specific, you can build your survey in seconds and start collecting actionable insights right away.
Steps to create a survey for citizens about broadband internet access
If you want to save time, just generate a survey with Specific right now. Here’s how simple the process is—with semantic surveys, there’s no need for complex tools or learning curves:
Tell what survey you want.
Done.
You honestly don’t even need to read further if you want to get started right away! AI will create your survey with expert knowledge and even ask respondents follow-up questions to gather deeper insights—so you’ll uncover the “why” behind every answer.
Why citizen surveys on broadband internet access matter
If you’re not running broadband internet access surveys, you’re missing out on understanding the real digital divide in your community. These surveys do more than count connections—they expose hidden barriers like affordability, technical knowledge, and perceived need, which are invisible on a map of coverage alone.
More than 40 million Americans lack access to home broadband, and almost one in four haven’t adopted it even where it’s available [1]. That’s not just about infrastructure; it’s about real people—families, students, and workers—falling behind.
45% of non-broadband users cite cost as a barrier, and 23% mention lack of skills [1][2]. If you’re not asking citizens directly, you’re missing crucial context and stalling your progress toward closing the digital gap.
When you conduct these surveys, you capture not only current adoption rates but also the “why” behind low uptake: is it price, technical skills, or people simply don’t see the benefit? The benefits of citizen feedback here are immediate: smarter funding, targeted programs, and faster progress.
We see this play out globally. In Ireland, 56% of households without internet say they simply don’t need it, while others cite skills or cost [2]. Local insight turns assumptions into concrete action. If you skip the survey, you’re not just missing information—you’re missing the opportunity for real community advancement.
What makes a good survey on broadband internet access?
Not all surveys are created equal. A strong survey about broadband internet access for citizens has a few non-negotiables: clear, unbiased questions, a conversational tone, and follow-up logic to uncover details that multiple-choice grids miss.
Bad practices | Good practices |
|---|---|
Leading questions (“Why do you dislike your provider?”) | Unbiased questions (“How satisfied are you with your internet service?”) |
Complex jargon | Simple, everyday language |
One-size-fits-all forms | Conversational surveys with dynamic follow-up questions |
The ultimate measure of a good survey is the quantity and quality of responses. You want plenty of citizens to participate—and their answers to be thoughtful, specific, and honest. Conversational surveys make this much more likely by making the process feel less like homework and more like a chat. If you get both high quantity and quality, you win.
What are question types with examples for citizen surveys on broadband internet access?
Asking the right types of questions is essential for getting useful feedback from citizens on broadband issues. Here’s what makes a question effective, and how to use each type:
Open-ended questions encourage honest, nuanced feedback and work best when you want to uncover needs, motivations, or pain points you haven’t anticipated. Use them early to surface new insights, or as follow-ups to structured questions. Two useful examples:
What’s the biggest challenge you face with your current internet connection?
Can you describe a time when slow internet impacted your daily life?
Single-select multiple-choice questions are great when you need to quantify a specific variable, like provider choice or perceived barriers. These questions simplify analysis and help identify patterns. For example:
Which of the following best describes your home internet situation?
I have high-speed broadband
I have basic internet only
I rely on mobile data only
I do not have internet at home
NPS (Net Promoter Score) question is powerful for measuring overall sentiment around broadband experiences. It’s easy to benchmark—and when you combine it with follow-ups, you can uncover the “why” behind detractors and promoters. If you want to instantly generate a citizen NPS survey on broadband internet access, try this:
On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend your current internet provider to others in your area?
Followup questions to uncover "the why" give respondents a chance to explain their choices or clarify what matters most. Use them when answers are vague, surprising, or when you want deeper context. For example:
What made you choose that rating?
Can you tell me more about the difficulties you experience?
If you want more inspiration or want to dive into tips on designing effective questions, check out our guide on the best questions for citizen surveys about broadband internet access.
What is a conversational survey?
A conversational survey is a feedback tool that feels like a two-way chat rather than a static form. Respondents type answers into a friendly interface, and the survey “AI agent” responds naturally—just like a real interviewer would. These surveys adapt in real time: if someone shares a short or unclear answer, the AI can dive deeper and ask follow-up questions automatically. That’s a huge leap from traditional forms stuck with the same rigid pathway for everyone.
Why is AI survey generation different—and better—than manual survey creation? Here’s a look:
Manual surveys | AI-generated surveys |
|---|---|
Time-consuming setup | Ready in seconds with a prompt |
Stiff, generic questions | Expert-designed, context-aware questions |
No real-time follow-ups | Dynamic, smart follow-up questions |
Static analysis | AI analysis of responses in real time |
Why use AI for citizen surveys? The advantage is clear: AI survey builders save time, remove guesswork, and produce surveys that “talk to” the respondent. If you’re looking for an AI survey example or want to experience how effortless it is, AI survey generators like Specific are the gold standard—purpose-built for speed, depth, and quality.
Specific delivers best-in-class user experience in conversational surveys, making feedback smooth and engaging for creators and participants. For a hands-on guide to building your own, here’s our explainer on creating a survey with AI.
The power of follow-up questions
The real magic of conversational surveys is in the follow-up questions—and Specific takes this to the next level by using AI to probe deeper in real time. Instead of letting citizens give incomplete or unclear responses, the AI auto-follows up, just like an expert interviewer. Automating this not only saves you the hassle of back-and-forth emails, but also means every answer carries maximum insight. Read more on automated AI follow-ups.
Citizen: My internet isn’t great.
AI follow-up: Can you share what problems you face the most—like slow speeds, frequent outages, or something else?
How many followups to ask? Generally, 2–3 follow-ups are enough to get to the heart of the matter. And if you’ve already collected the information you need, it’s smart to have a setting that lets the survey skip to the next question. With Specific, you can adjust this easily according to your needs.
This makes it a conversational survey: Followups make survey-taking feel less like ticking off boxes and more like a genuine conversation.
Analyze open-ended responses easily with AI. Even if you collect lots of unstructured feedback, it’s fast and simple to turn responses into themes and insights using AI. For a detailed breakdown, check out this resource: analyze citizen survey responses about broadband internet access.
Automated followups are still an emerging concept. Try generating a survey to see how this all works—your insights will be richer, and your survey much more engaging.
See this broadband internet access survey example now
Get instant, actionable feedback from your community with an AI-driven broadband survey—expertly crafted, fully conversational, and designed for maximum insight. Create your own survey today and see how easy it is to understand your citizens’ needs.