Nice way of asking people their ages (in a survey)

[Scramblinghealingdreaming]

I need to design a survey and find a way to ask people their ages. It is very informal and I would like to make it fun too if possible. I just need to know roughly.

I remember seeing something ages ago that made me laugh - particularly about asking older people (something like - 'enjoying retirement') but better than that and cant quite remember.

age brackets will roughly be

1. under 18
2. 18 - 30
3. 40 - 50
4. 50 - 70
5. over 70

I dont actually need to include the numbers as it doesnt need to be precise.

Any ideas?

I guess by asking for a "nice way" to ask for age you are agreeing that people should be embarrassed by age?

We'll never conquer ageism in this country while it's the done thing to be coy about one's age. No one should feel reluctant to disclose their age - it's a simple fact, and everyone who lives long enough will be middle-aged/old one day.

I say this as a middle-aged woman.

Agree with everyone. Use age bands.

Also worth asking one of the survey designers to take a quick look at your survey before you launch. I work in research and it's staggering how much the way the question is asked can introduce bias into the results.

Believes in Santa
Doesn't believe in Santa
Is Santa
Looks like Santa

That would cover the blokes, so then maybe for women:

Cares what others think
Doesn't care what others think

@ShadowInVain

What do you want to find out? If it's their age, just use age brackets. If it's lifestyle, you could have tick-box options, e.g.

Retired
Stay at home parent
Working parent
Single
Living with spouse/long-term partner
Student
Living with parents

This. Don’t ask for information you don’t need.

I draw an occupational pension from a former employer but I am not yet old enough to claim state pension. I have a part-time job and I do all the admin for my dh's business. I know which age bracket I am in but how to describe my stage of life? Not quite past it but getting there, maybe.

OP If this is any kind of marketing, my response to “enjoying retirement” would be FOTTFSOF & FOSM.

How do you imagine those who would like to be retired but are still having to work would feel about such a category? Or those who would rather still be working but have been made redundant or had to retire through Ill health?

Cutesy can be nauseating at times.

You clearly don't know better OP or you wouldn't be asking.

Another market researcher here. I would stick to either age bands or just asking for age.

Keep in mind if you use bands that they need to be discrete, you can't have 40-50 years and then 50-60 years, otherwise if I were 50 years old which one would I pick?

I vote for age bands too. Anything else has the potential to offend or annoy.

@AlexaShutUp

I vote for age bands too. Anything else has the potential to offend or annoy.

Having said that, your earlier response to some perfectly helpful posts suggests that, actually, you have no problem with being offensive or annoying, so maybe crack on with the cutesy categories after all. I'm sure your superior judgement will enable you to identify the best labels without any help from mumsnet.

@Scramblinghealingdreaming

Thanks for replies so far. Given the project and my ability to work within the scope plus known audience etc my judgement at representing the survey is possibly slightly better placed.

Any helpful ideas certainly welcomed.

What does this mean? You’re better placed at what?

You sound like you are trying to say you’re an experienced project manager/researcher and don’t really need anyone on here to help you, yet are asking people Mumsnet questions that I’d expect my 13 year to ask if she was making a survey for school?!

And you’ve missed out 30-40.

There is a whole industry of market and social research and polling but crack on, you know best. Why bother asking !

@Scramblinghealingdreaming

Thanks for replies so far. Given the project and my ability to work within the scope plus known audience etc my judgement at representing the survey is possibly slightly better placed.

Any helpful ideas certainly welcomed.

🤣

Here's one, but it could apply equally to every demographic:

"Thinks surveys are bollocks and uncreative so bins them unceremoniously"

I ignore any survey I’m asked to do that requires age. It’s irrelevant for the ones I’m asked about.

You could have the ‘prefer not to say’ category.

Your patronising post indicates that you think you’re right and have no intention of listening to anyone’s view, even though you asked.

I do think age bands is best but if you really insist how about generations? Z, millennial, X, boomer etc (with relevant years of birth).

I also design surveys in my job... Honestly just use ages! And your initial example needs altering as you've not altered the age parameters to be discreet categories (a little careless for someone who says they know best! 😉) e.g Instead of 30-40, 40-50 you need 30-39, 40-49 etc. If you assign labels that aren't ages and they're at all ambiguous then for research purposes it defeats the point of asking about age to begin with as whatever you get won't be accurate.

@Scramblinghealingdreaming

Thanks for replies so far. Given the project and my ability to work within the scope plus known audience etc my judgement at representing the survey is possibly slightly better placed.

Any helpful ideas certainly welcomed.

Pure gold. Crack on.

Meant to add to my post that the point to focus on is - what's the intended function of the question you're asking? So if it's to establish your respondents' age... Then you need to ask for their age!! If it's to align them to a lifestyle then as a pp suggested something like Unemployed/ Employed / Retired etc may be better. And you can always include a Prefer Not To Say option.

Oh dear OP! There are useful courses on how to create effective questionnaires, i had to study this and it sounds like it might be a useful idea for you too. Or take the quick win with the insight offered you here, but you would need to climb down out of that tree you're in first. That can be done with grace too.

I work in the industry. Just use numbers/brackets.

Who resurrected this zombie thread 🙄