Q01
Message
All templatesNonprofit & Civic
Public Records (FOIA) Request Satisfaction Survey
Measures resident satisfaction with public records/FOIA request processes—covering clarity of guidance, response timelines, fee transparency, and overall ease—to help government agencies and civic organizations identify actionable improvement priorities.
Sample questions
A preview of what’s in the template. Every question is editable before you launch.
27 questions · ~12 min
Q02
Multiple Choice
Have you submitted a public records (FOIA) request in the last 12 months?
- Yes
- No
- Not sure
Q03
Opinion Scale
How clear was the information about how to submit a public records request?
Scale: 1 – 7
Min:Not at all clearMax:Extremely clear
Q04
Multiple Choice
Approximately how many calendar days passed between submitting your request and receiving the initial response?
- 1–5 days
- 6–10 days
- 11–20 days
- 21–30 days
- More than 30 days
- I have not yet received a response
- Don't remember
Q05
Multiple Choice
Which types of fees, if any, did you encounter? Select all that apply.
- Per-page copying
- Electronic processing
- Hourly labor
- Mailing or shipping
- Certification or notarization
- I did not incur any fees
- Other (please specify)
Q06
Opinion Scale
Overall, how easy or difficult was the public records request process in your jurisdiction?
Scale: 1 – 7
Min:Extremely difficultMax:Extremely easy
Q07
Dropdown
What is your age group?
- 18–24
- 25–34
- 35–44
- 45–54
- 55–64
- 65+
- Prefer not to say
Q08
Message
Thank you for completing this survey! Your input will help improve the clarity, timelines, and costs of public records request processes. Your responses are confidential and will be reported only in aggregate.
Q09
Multiple Choice
How did you submit your most recent public records request?
- Online portal
- In person
- Fax
- Other (please specify)
Q10
Opinion Scale
How clear was the information about what records are available for request?
Scale: 1 – 7
Min:Not at all clearMax:Extremely clear
Q11
Opinion Scale
How clear was the communication about the expected timeline for your request?
Scale: 1 – 7
Min:Not at all clearMax:Extremely clear
Q12
Multiple Choice
Approximately how much did you pay in total fees for your most recent public records request?
- $0 (no fees)
- $1–$10
- $11–$25
- $26–$50
- $51–$100
- More than $100
- Don't remember
Q13
Opinion Scale
Overall, how satisfied are you with the public records request process in your jurisdiction?
Scale: 1 – 7
Min:Very dissatisfiedMax:Very satisfied
Q14
Multiple Choice
Which best describes your gender?
- Man
- Woman
- Non-binary
- Self-describe (please specify)
- Prefer not to say
Q15
Opinion Scale
How clear was the information about the fee structure and estimated costs?
Scale: 1 – 7
Min:Not at all clearMax:Extremely clear
Q16
Multiple Choice
Which of the following would be most helpful for tracking the status of a public records request? Select up to 3.
- Email updates
- Online portal status page
- Phone support
- Text/SMS alerts
- Assigned contact person
- Other (please specify)
Q17
Opinion Scale
Overall, how reasonable were the fees you paid for your public records request?
Scale: 1 – 7
Min:Not at all reasonableMax:Extremely reasonable
Q18
Opinion Scale
How likely are you to file a public records request in the next 12 months?
Scale: 1 – 7
Min:Very unlikelyMax:Very likely
Q19
Dropdown
What is the highest level of education you have completed?
- Less than high school
- High school or equivalent
- Some college or associate degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Graduate or professional degree
- Prefer not to say
Q20
Opinion Scale
How clear was the information about exemptions and reasons records might be denied or redacted?
Scale: 1 – 7
Min:Not at all clearMax:Extremely clear
Q21
Multiple Choice
Did the costs associated with your request lead you to change your plans?
- No, costs did not affect my request
- Yes, I narrowed the scope of my request
- Yes, I canceled my request entirely
- Not applicable—I did not incur fees
Q22
Long Text
If you could change one thing to improve the public records request process (clarity, timelines, or costs), what would it be?
Q23
Multiple Choice
What is your current employment status?
- Employed full-time
- Employed part-time
- Self-employed
- Unemployed, seeking work
- Not working by choice (student, caregiver, etc.)
- Retired
- Prefer not to say
Q24
Opinion Scale
How satisfied were you with any explanations provided for denials or redactions in your request?
Scale: 1 – 7
Min:Very dissatisfiedMax:Very satisfied
Q25
Long Text
Based on your responses in this survey, is there anything else you would like to share about your experience with public records (FOIA) requests?
Q26
Dropdown
Which U.S. state or territory do you live in?
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- American Samoa
- Guam
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Puerto Rico
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Other U.S. territory
- Prefer not to say
Q27
AI Interview
We'd like to learn more about your experience with public records requests. An AI moderator will ask a couple of brief follow-up questions based on your earlier responses.
What’s included
AI follow-ups
Adaptive probes on open-ended answers that pull out detail a static form would miss.
Attention checks
Built-in safeguards against rushed answers and low-quality respondents.
AI-drafted copy
Wording, ordering, and branching written by the AI — tuned to your research goal.
Auto report
Themes, quotes, and a plain-English summary write themselves once responses come in.
How it compares
We reviewed the closest templates from other survey tools. Here’s what they do well — and where this template goes further.
Why this template
- Includes dedicated opinion-scale questions on clarity of submission guidance, records availability, fee structure, and exemption/denial explanations—not just generic satisfaction
- Captures the full request lifecycle: submission channel, elapsed calendar days, timeline communication clarity, fees encountered, and whether costs changed the requester's plans
- Adds an AI follow-up interview to probe open-ended feedback beyond the two open-text questions, surfacing specifics that fixed-choice scales miss
- Ends with demographic breakdowns (age, gender, education, employment, state) so agencies can segment satisfaction and identify equity gaps in access to records
SurveyMonkey
Resident Satisfaction Survey TemplateA general-purpose resident satisfaction template aimed at local government services broadly, not specifically at public records or FOIA request experiences. It would need substantial rewriting to cover fee transparency, exemption clarity, and request timelines. Useful as a generic starting point but not fielding-ready for FOIA-specific measurement.
What it does well
- Backed by SurveyMonkey's established survey distribution and analytics platform
- Likely easy to customize for broad municipal satisfaction topics
- Familiar interface for government staff already using SurveyMonkey
Where it falls short
- No FOIA-specific questions on fee structure, exemptions, or request timelines out of the box
- Static question format with no adaptive AI follow-up to probe why a resident was dissatisfied
- No published methodology or per-response quality scoring for open-ended answers
SurveySparrow
Resident Satisfaction Survey TemplateAnother general resident satisfaction template covering local services broadly rather than the public records request process specifically. It lacks the granular fee, timeline, and denial-explanation questions needed to diagnose FOIA process friction. Would serve as a generic community feedback tool rather than a purpose-built FOIA satisfaction instrument.
What it does well
- Conversational, chat-style survey format that may improve completion rates
- Part of a broader community/civic template library
- Supports standard multiple-choice and rating question types
Where it falls short
- No built-in questions addressing FOIA-specific pain points like fee transparency or exemption clarity
- No adaptive AI interviewing to dig deeper into low satisfaction scores
- No transparent, publishable prompt/methodology documentation for any AI-assisted elements
Frequently asked questions
What questions are in the “Public Records (FOIA) Request Satisfaction Survey” template?
The template includes 27 ready-to-use questions, starting with: “Welcome and thank you for participating in this survey about your experience with public records (FOIA) requests. This s…” · “Have you submitted a public records (FOIA) request in the last 12 months?” · “How clear was the information about how to submit a public records request?”. The full set is previewed above, and every question is editable.
How long does this survey take to complete?
Respondents typically finish the 27 questions in about 12 minutes.
Can I customize this template?
Yes — every question, answer option, and the ordering is editable before you launch. You can add or remove questions, or ask the AI editor to rework the survey around your research goal.
Is this template free to use?
Yes. Open it in the editor and start customizing right away — no account required to try it, and the free plan covers launching your survey.
Ready to launch?
Open this template in the editor. Every part is yours to change before the first respondent sees it.
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