‘Is There Anything Else You’d Like to Tell Us About Your Experience?’ Orientations Towards Listening to Open-Ended Survey Responses

Giselle Newton, Emma Kirby, Lukas Hofstätter, Sarah Judd-Lam, Louisa Smith, Brendan Churchill, Iva Strnadová and Christy E Newman
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Giselle Newton: The University of Queensland, Australia; UNSW Sydney, Australia
Emma Kirby: UNSW Sydney, Australia
Lukas Hofstätter: Carers NSW, Australia
Sarah Judd-Lam: Carers NSW, Australia
Louisa Smith: Deakin University, Australia
Brendan Churchill: The University of Melbourne, Australia
Iva Strnadová: UNSW Sydney, Australia
Christy E Newman: UNSW Sydney, Australia

Sociological Research Online, 2025, vol. 30, issue 3, 711-729

Abstract: While survey research design tends to prioritise closed questions with predetermined responses, many surveys conclude with an open-ended ‘anything else you would like to tell us?’ question. This question, designed to elicit feedback or create opportunities for respondents to share additional information, offers significant potential for insight into respondents’ experiences. Yet, the extent to which these open-ended data are listened to remains opaque. In this article, we outline and reflect on our approach to a reflexive thematic analysis of responses to an open-ended survey question, to foreground listening. Drawing on responses ( n  = 1746) from a national survey of informal carers in Australia, we explore how the final ‘anything else?’ style question of a survey offers scope for fostering ongoing engagement (via survey feedback and context), recognising less visible experiences (through detailed personal accounts), and attending to respondents’ needs (via calls for attention and action). We discuss our approach to sociological listening , and the practicalities therein, including experiences of discomfort, and the challenges of responding to responses . In doing so, we argue that engagement with the data derived from open-ended survey responses is not only fruitful for generating feedback and contextualisation within self-administered survey design, but that such data also hold considerable opportunities for meaningful listening, particularly in contexts where respondents lack recognition and visibility.

Keywords: Australia; feedback comments; informal carers; listening; open-ended questions; open-ended responses; qualitative; survey questionnaires (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socres:v:30:y:2025:i:3:p:711-729

DOI: 10.1177/13607804241287628

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