A Single Select poll asks respondents to choose one option from 3 to 8 choices and explain their selection. Use it when you want to find a clear winner among multiple options, or when you want to learn more about audience or product preferences.
Single Select polls combine the clarity of a simple vote with the depth of written feedback. Instead of comparing just two options (like Head-to-Head) or ranking everything (like Ranked), respondents pick their single favorite – or the option that most applies to them – and tell you why.
This poll type is perfect for narrowing down a shortlist when you need both quantitative results (which option won) and qualitative insights (why people chose it).
When should I use a Single Select poll?
Single Select polls work best when you have multiple options and want to identify the strongest one – or when it's logical for respondents to choose only one option. They're ideal for:
Audience research or product preferences – ask questions like, "How many wireless speakers have you purchased in your lifetime?" with answer choices such as "0", "1", and "More than 1"
Headlines or taglines – which message connects best with your target market?
Logo concepts – which design represents your brand most effectively?
Value propositions – which benefit matters most to potential customers?
Choose Single Select when you need to test more than two options, but don't require full ranking data or you need respondents to choose only one option.
If you want to more accurately understand how each of your options compare to the rest, choose a Ranked poll, which uses instant runoff voting to rank audience preferences.
How to create a Single Select poll
Setting up a Single Select poll takes just a few steps:
Start a new poll – click the New poll button from your dashboard
Choose Single Select – select it from the Comparison section of the question type menu
Add your options – upload 3 to 8 options (text, images, video, or audio)
Write your question – ask something like "Which of these product designs looks like the highest quality?"
Target your audience – choose demographics that match your target market
Preview and launch – review your poll, then launch to start collecting feedback
Respondents will view all options, select their favorite, and write a comment explaining their choice.
How to read your Single Select poll results
Once your poll completes, you'll see two types of insights:
Vote breakdown – a clear percentage showing how many respondents chose each option, with the winner highlighted
Written feedback – detailed comments from each respondent explaining why they made their selection
The combination of voting data and explanations helps you understand not just which option won, but the reasoning behind people's preferences. Look for patterns in the comments to uncover what's working (or not) about each option.
Frequently asked questions
How many options can I include in a Single Select poll?
You can include 3 to 8 options. For more than two options with ranking data, use a Ranked poll.
What content formats can I test?
Single Select polls support text, images, image sets, videos, audio files, and product mockups.
How is Single Select different from Multi Select?
In Single Select, respondents pick only one option. In Multi Select, they can choose multiple options. Use Single Select when you need one winner; use Multi Select to understand broad appeal across options.
When should I use Single Select vs. Ranked?
Use Single Select for a quick winner with detailed feedback. Use Ranked when you need to understand the full preference order of all options (requires instant runoff tallying for accurate results).