Describe your workforce and inclusion goals. Makeform creates an editable diversity survey with optional demographics, consistent rating scales, and open comments.
Send responses to Google Sheets, Slack, and Zapier.
Sample prompts for the builder
Choose a brief, adapt its language, or send it to the builder. The structure shown is an example.
Audience
Employees across departments and locations
Format
Anonymous-style pulse with a five-point agreement scale
Prompt size
504 chars
Example survey structure
Anonymous-style pulse with a five-point agreement scale
I feel respected by the people I work with
I have fair access to growth opportunities
Which demographic groups do you identify with?
What creates a barrier to inclusion here?
What is one change we should prioritize?
Suggested analysis tags
Belonging
Fair opportunity
Psychological safety
Keep demographic self-identification optional and include a Prefer not to answer choice; employees should not have to disclose an identity to share an inclusion concern.
Step 1
Frame
define the decision the survey should inform
Step 2
Ask
combine inclusion scales with optional demographics
Step 3
Review
check wording, privacy expectations, and small groups
Step 4
Act
share themes, owners, and follow-up dates
Measure experience, not just representation
Pair optional identity questions with specific workplace experiences to find where belonging, opportunity, and voice need attention.
Use multi-select, self-describe, and Prefer not to answer. Ask only demographics needed for analysis.
Use one labeled agreement scale across belonging, voice, fairness, support, and psychological safety.
Ask about barriers, helpful practices, and one priority action after the ratings.
Designed for candid participation
State the purpose and response-handling plan before the first sensitive field.
Explain why you are collecting responses, who reviews results, and when employees will get an update.
Let employees skip demographics, choose Not applicable, and see only relevant follow-ups.
Check whether team, location, tenure, and identity combinations could point to someone; group results under your policy.
Tag themes, assign action owners, and repeat the same core measures next time.
Survey workflow
Start with the decision, then ask the smallest useful question set. Review wording and reporting choices before launch.
Name who will answer, the experiences to understand, useful demographics, and the decision findings will inform.
Allow multiple selections, self-describe, and Prefer not to answer where appropriate.
Preview mobile layout, scales, logic, and optional fields with a small review group.
Group results responsibly, name action owners, and repeat core questions to track direction.
Choose a survey structure
Match a broad baseline, short pulse, or program evaluation to the decision.
Field guide
Keep only fields that serve the survey purpose, with response choices employees recognize.
Introduction
State why you are surveying, who sees findings, how results are grouped, and when employees will hear what happens next. Do not call it anonymous if linked systems collect identifiers.
Demographics
Every demographic raises sensitivity and may create small groups. Use locally reviewed language and collect only what the analysis needs.
Belonging
Ask about observable experiences such as respect, voice, team belonging, and contributing authentically. Use one consistent scale.
Opportunity
Cover feedback, assignments, advancement, recognition, learning, and process clarity through employees' direct experience.
Safety and reporting
Ask separately about manager receptiveness, reporting-channel knowledge, response confidence, and fear of negative consequences.
Open response
Ask for a barrier, a helpful practice, and one priority change. Remind respondents not to include names or details they do not want shared.
Related tools
Add focused tools for self-identification, inclusion feedback, engagement, and satisfaction.
FAQ
Practical answers for HR and DEI teams planning employee demographic and inclusion research.
It combines optional demographic self-identification with questions about inclusion, belonging, respect, opportunity, and psychological safety. State whether it will identify gaps, choose priorities, or evaluate a program.
Include a purpose statement, relevant optional demographics, consistent belonging and fairness scales, reporting and opportunity questions, and focused open prompts. Ask only what your team will analyze and act on.
Yes. Include Prefer not to answer, allow multiple selections where appropriate, and never require identity disclosure to share workplace feedback. Explain why each demographic is collected.
You can omit names and emails, but review the full setup before calling it anonymous. Sign-in, URL parameters, integrations, and small demographic combinations may associate a response with someone.
Use one idea per statement about an experience employees can judge. Keep the same labeled scale across related items and add Not applicable where needed.
Leave time to review findings and act. Use a broader baseline with shorter pulses between it, repeating core questions. Update employees before asking them to respond again.
Plan before launch. Review cross-tabs for small groups, group or suppress results under your internal policy, and share themes, limits, actions, owners, and dates.
Yes. Makeform is unlimited free for generating, editing, publishing, and collecting responses. The paid tier removes the Makeform badge. Revise every question and test the survey before sharing it.
Build a clear employee listening plan.
