--- title: "Dropdown question: examples and when to use a list" description: "What a dropdown question is, when a collapsed list beats radio buttons, dropdown question examples and how the block works on a phone in an Askyo survey." url: https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/dropdown lang: en last_modified: 2026-09-27 --- 1. [Home](https://askyo.ru/en) 2. [Question types](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types) 3. Dropdown question Question type # Dropdown question A dropdown question is a closed question where the options sit in a collapsed list and the respondent picks exactly one. It takes a single line on the screen however many options it holds, which makes it the right format for long, familiar lists such as countries, industries, departments or product models. Available on the free plan [Build a survey with this question ](https://app.askyo.ru/build)[Survey templates](https://askyo.ru/en/templates) ## Dropdown or radio buttons? A dropdown hides the options until it is opened. That is a cost: the respondent cannot scan the choices while reading the question, and short lists take an extra tap for nothing. So the rule of thumb is simple. Up to about seven options, show them openly as a single choice question. Beyond that, or when people already know their answer before they see the list (their country, their department), a dropdown keeps the screen clean. Order matters inside a long list. Alphabetical order works for names people search for. A logical order (from smallest to largest, or by frequency) works for categories. A list in random order forces everyone to read it all. Make sure the options do not overlap and that everyone fits somewhere. If a respondent cannot find their department, they pick the nearest one and your data gets quietly wrong. ## Dropdown question examples - Which department do you work in? - What industry is your company in? - Which model do you own? ## Options, placeholder and the phone view You add, rename and delete options in the editor, or paste a whole list at once and choose whether to append it or replace the current options. The placeholder is editable; by default it reads «Choose an option». On a phone, a tap opens the list as a popover and a second tap picks the answer. Every option can lead to its own branch in the survey logic, so «Sales» and «Engineering» can go on to different questions. In quiz mode a dropdown can carry a correct answer and points. Results show a bar list sorted by count with the top answer marked, and the CSV export carries the option wording. What you can set - the list of options - hint inside the empty field ## Templates that already use it - «Which section is broken?» [Feedback form](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/feedback-form) [Feedback](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/feedback) - «How did you hear about us?» [Client questionnaire](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/anketa-client) [Leads and contacts](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/lead) - «Convenient time» [Service booking](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/booking) [Leads and contacts](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/lead) - «Industry» [B2B lead form](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/lead-b2b) [Leads and contacts](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/lead) - «Subject» [Contact form](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/contact) [Leads and contacts](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/lead) - «What year is your child in?» [Parent satisfaction with the school](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/school-satisfaction) [Education](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/education) - «Year group» [School meals survey](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/school-meals) [Education](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/education) - «What year is your child in?» [Clubs and after-school activities: interest survey](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/extracurricular-interest) [Education](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/education) - «Who wrote the novel in verse «Eugene Onegin»?» [Knowledge test with scoring](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/knowledge-check-test) [Education](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/education) - «Department» [Staff assessment test with scoring](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/staff-certification) [Education](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/education) - «Where do you usually hear about new products?» [Customer expectations](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/customer-expectations) [Research](https://askyo.ru/en/templates/category/research) Frequently asked questions ## Dropdown question: common questions Can respondents pick several options in a dropdown? No, a dropdown takes exactly one answer. For several answers use a multiple choice question with checkboxes, which also shows all options at once. If the list is very long and several answers are possible, consider splitting it into groups. ## Neighbouring types - [Single choice question](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/single-choice) - [Graph logic explained](https://askyo.ru/en/blog/why-graph-logic) - [Long answer](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/long-text) - [Text block](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/statement) - [Short answer](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/short-text) - [Single choice](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/single-choice) - [Consent](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/consent) - [Email](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types/email) - [All question types](https://askyo.ru/en/question-types) ## Build a survey with this question Turn a long list into one tidy line that branches by answer. [Build a survey ](https://app.askyo.ru/build)[Survey templates](https://askyo.ru/en/templates)