About Dropdown

Dropdown shows the answer options in a closed list that opens on click. Participants pick exactly one. It saves space, so it suits long lists such as countries, departments or years. For short lists, List (radio) is faster to answer because all options are visible.

The closed dropdown shows Please choose... until the participant picks an option.

Add a Dropdown question

1. Click the purple + in the top bar. The question type picker opens.

2. Under Single choice, click Dropdown. The question appears at the end of the current question group.

3. Click Your question here and type your question.

4. Click the first answer option and type it. Add answer below the last option adds another one.

Settings that matter

Select the question to open its settings on the right.

• Allow searching of dropdown (Advanced > Display theme options): adds a search field to the list, useful from about 20 options on.
• Category separator (Advanced > Display): groups the options under headings. Enter a character, for example -, and write the options as Europe - Germany, Europe - France, Asia - Japan. Participants then see the options under the headings Europe and Asia.
• Prefix for list items (Advanced > Display): numbers the options, for example "3) France".
• Other (Advanced > General): adds an Other: option with a text field.
• Answer options order (Advanced > Display): shows the options in random order.

How the answers are stored

The answer is the code of the chosen option, for example A003, not its text. With Category separator, the code still belongs to the option, and the heading is not stored.

Next steps

• List (radio)
• Add subquestions and answer options
• Export your responses

FAQ

What is the difference between Dropdown and List (radio)?

Only the display. Both store the code of one answer option, so you can switch between them with Type in the question settings as long as the survey is not active.

Can participants pick several options from the dropdown?

No. For several answers from a long list, use Multiple choice with Display columns so the list stays compact.