Focus Group Survey Template: Screener and Question Examples

A focus group survey template is usually not one form but a small kit: a screener survey to recruit the right participants, a consent form, a short pre-session questionnaire, the discussion guide the moderator uses in the room, and a post-session survey. This guide gives you ready-to-copy questions for each one, explains how to screen people out without tipping them off, and covers incentives and no-shows. You can start from our free focus group survey template, which is a working screener.

The focus group survey kit at a glance

Form	When	Purpose	Length
Screener survey	1-3 weeks before	Find qualified, varied participants; screen out the rest	8-15 questions
Consent form	On acceptance, or at check-in	Agreement to take part, recording, data use	4-8 items + signature
Pre-session questionnaire	A few days before	Logistics, baseline opinions, optional homework	5-10 questions
Discussion guide	During the session	The moderator's question plan	10-15 questions over 60-120 minutes
Post-session survey	Right after the session	Private opinions, session feedback, incentive details	5-8 questions

Only the discussion guide is spoken. Everything else is a form, and getting those forms right decides whether the people in the room are the ones you need.

Focus group screener survey template

The screener is where most focus group projects succeed or fail. A loose screener fills the room with people who don't match your target, or with "professional respondents" who have learned what to say to qualify.

Screener design rules

Put must-have criteria first. If someone must have bought a product in the last six months, ask that early and end the screener politely for anyone who hasn't. It saves their time and yours.
Hide the purpose. If the screener makes it obvious you are looking for, say, people who cook at home five nights a week, some people will claim to be exactly that. The Nielsen Norman Group's guide to screening questions recommends this and the next two rules.
Avoid yes/no qualifiers. "Do you shop online?" is easy to fake. "When did you last buy something online?" with a range of answers is not.
Use distractors. In multiple-choice questions, list your target behavior among realistic alternatives so it doesn't stand out. Be wary of people who select every option.
Ask one open "articulation" question. Focus groups need people who will talk. A question like "Describe the last time you chose a new [product]. What made you pick it?" shows both real experience and how well someone expresses themselves.
Exclude conflicts of interest. People who work in market research, advertising, journalism or for a competitor usually get screened out.
Check recent participation. Many researchers exclude anyone who attended a focus group recently, to avoid professional respondents.
Collect contact details last, only from people who qualify.

Sample screener questions

Introduction (statement screen): "We're looking for people to join a 90-minute group discussion about [broad topic]. It takes about 3 minutes to see if you're a fit. Participants receive [incentive]."

Must-have criteria

Which of these have you done in the past 3 months? (Select all that apply; include your target behavior among four or five distractors)
When did you last [target behavior]? (In the last week / last month / 1-3 months ago / longer ago / never)
Who in your household usually decides on [category]? (Me / shared / someone else)

Exclusions

Do you or anyone in your household work in any of these fields? (Market research, advertising or PR, journalism, [your industry], none of these)
When did you last take part in a paid focus group or research interview? (Never / more than a year ago / 6-12 months ago / in the last 6 months)

Profile and quotas

Your age range
City and country (or region, for in-person groups)
How often do you use products like ours?
Which brands have you used in the last year? (Distractors again)

Articulation

Tell us about the last time you [target behavior]. What went well and what didn't?

Logistics

Which of these times work for you? (List sessions)
Which format suits you? (In person / online video / either)
Do you need any accessibility support to take part?
Contact details: name, email, phone

Ending screens: one for people who qualify ("Thanks, you could be a great fit. We'll be in touch by [date]") and one for people who don't ("Thanks for your interest. We don't need more participants with your profile for this study"). Never tell someone which answer disqualified them.

Quotas and over-recruiting

Decide your mix before you open the screener, for example a balance of ages, light and heavy users, and new versus long-time customers. Track it as responses come in, and close the screener once you have enough. Because some confirmed participants won't show up, recruiters typically confirm a couple more people than the seats they need, then send reminders the day before and the morning of the session.

Focus group consent form

Before the session, each participant should agree in writing to what will happen. Explain in plain language:

What the study is about (in general terms) and how long the session takes
That the session will be audio or video recorded, and who will see the recording
How their comments will be used, for example quoted without names in a report
How long you keep recordings and personal details, and how to ask for deletion
That taking part is voluntary and they can leave at any time without losing the incentive (if that's your policy, say so)
Who to contact with questions

Then collect checkboxes or yes/no answers for each permission (taking part, recording, quotes, future contact) and a signature. For minors, collect parent or guardian consent. Our consent form template includes participant details, separate permissions, guardian consent and a drawn signature. Check your organization's requirements and local privacy law; academic research may also need approval from an ethics board.

Pre-session questionnaire

Sent to confirmed participants a few days ahead. It handles logistics and captures individual views before group dynamics can influence them.

Please confirm you can attend on [date and time].
For online sessions: which device will you join from? Have you used [video tool] before?
Any dietary needs or accessibility requirements? (in-person)
In your own words, what matters most to you when choosing [category]?
On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with the [product/category] you use today?
Optional homework: upload a photo of [where you use the product] or a screenshot of [the app you use].

Individual answers given before the group discussion are useful later. If someone rated a product 2 before the session and then agreed with the room that it's "fine", that's worth knowing.

Focus group discussion guide questions

The moderator's guide is not a form, but people searching for focus group questions usually want it. A common structure moves from easy to hard:

Stage	Purpose	Example questions
Opening	Get everyone talking	"Tell us your first name and one thing you did last weekend."
Introductory	Introduce the topic	"When you think about [category], what comes to mind?"
Transition	Move to specifics	"Think back to the last time you bought [product]. Walk us through it."
Key questions	The 3-5 questions that matter most	"What would make you switch from what you use now?" "Here's a concept. What's your first reaction?" "What's missing?"
Ending	Summarize and catch anything missed	"Of everything we discussed, what matters most to you?" "Is there anything we should have asked but didn't?"

Moderator tips: ask open questions ("how" and "what"), avoid "why" chains that make people defensive, invite quieter participants by name, and ask people to write down a reaction before discussing it so the first speaker doesn't set everyone's opinion.

Post-session survey questions

Send this the moment the session ends, or show a QR code on the last slide. It does two jobs: captures what people didn't say in the group, and improves your next session.

Was there anything you wanted to say during the discussion but didn't? (long text)
After the discussion, how likely are you to try [concept]? (0-10)
Has your opinion of [topic] changed since before the session? (Yes, more positive / no change / yes, more negative) and why
How comfortable did you feel sharing your views? (1-5)
How well did the moderator make sure everyone was heard? (1-5)
Was the session length about right? (Too short / about right / too long)
Where should we send your incentive? (email, if not already collected)
Would you like to be invited to future research? (yes / no)

Focus group incentives

Incentives are normal and expected; they compensate people for their time and travel. A few practical points:

Size the incentive to the effort. Consider session length, travel, homework, and how hard your audience is to reach. Specialists such as doctors or senior executives usually expect much more than general consumers. Ask your recruiting partner or check recent studies in your field for current rates.
State it clearly in the screener and repeat it in the confirmation, including how and when it will be paid.
Pay promptly, ideally within a few days. Gift cards and bank transfers are common.
Decide your policy for people who leave early or are turned away because you over-recruited. Paying anyone who shows up in good faith is the common, fair approach.
Be careful with employees and existing customers, where an incentive can look like pressure or a conflict of interest, and check whether your organization has rules on gifts or tax reporting.

How to build a focus group screener in FlowyForm

FlowyForm asks one question at a time, which suits screeners: respondents can't scan ahead to work out which answers qualify them.

Start from the focus group survey template. It already has age, location, usage, an industry exclusion, availability, format, contact details, recording consent and two endings.
Add disqualifying logic on each must-have question: "if answer is [disqualifying option], go to" the not-a-fit ending. Use "match any" when several answers disqualify.
Add distractor options to multiple-choice questions and turn on randomized option order so the target answer isn't always in the same place.
Tag recruitment sources with hidden fields, for example ?source=newsletter or ?source=panel-a, so you can see which channel brings qualified people.
Send qualified people onward. On Premium, an ending redirect can send people who qualify straight to your scheduling page to pick a session slot.
Watch quotas in real time with Google Sheets (each response becomes a row) or a Slack message per response, and close the form after a set number of responses or at a date.
Collect consent and signatures with the consent form template. FlowyForm does not pay incentives; collect the payout email in the post-session survey and pay through your gift card or payments provider.

If you also need to plan what to ask in the research itself, see our market research questions and the guide to qualitative vs quantitative data.

FAQ

What is a focus group screener survey?

A screener is a short questionnaire used to recruit focus group participants. It checks that people match the target profile, excludes conflicts of interest and recent research participants, balances the group, and collects availability and contact details from those who qualify.

How many questions should a focus group screener have?

Usually 8 to 15. Put the must-have criteria first so people who don't qualify finish quickly, and keep contact details until the end.

What questions should I ask in a focus group?

Plan 10 to 15 questions in five stages: an opening question, an introductory question, transition questions, three to five key questions that answer your research goal, and ending questions that summarize and catch anything missed.

How many people should be in a focus group?

Most focus groups have roughly 6 to 10 participants, the range Columbia University's qualitative research training guide give as the target. Smaller groups give each person more time; larger ones are harder to moderate. Run more than one group per audience so one unusual group doesn't skew your findings.

Do focus group participants need to sign a consent form?

Yes, especially if the session is recorded or quotes will be used. The form should explain the purpose, recording, data use and retention, that participation is voluntary, and collect a signature for each permission.

Can I use an online form for a focus group survey?

Yes. Screeners, consent, pre-session and post-session surveys all work well online. A conversational form with logic can route ineligible people to a polite ending and send qualified ones to book a session.

Focus Group Survey Templates: Screener, Consent and Feedback