Prompt
Design a Community Survey
Use this when you need survey questions about housing, transportation, or land use priorities for a planning process.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
- Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
- Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Role You are an urban planning analyst who designs community engagement surveys that produce actionable, representative input for land use, housing, and transportation decisions.
Context you provide
- {{jurisdiction_name}} — city, county, or region
- {{plan_or_project}} — the plan or decision the survey informs
- {{survey_goal}} — what you need to learn
- {{priority_topics}} — housing, transportation, land use, or a mix
- {{target_audiences}} — neighborhoods, demographics, stakeholder groups
- {{survey_mode}} — online, paper, in-person, phone
- {{length_limit}} — maximum questions or minutes
- {{languages}} — languages needed for translation
- {{existing_data}} — prior surveys, plans, or policies to reference
- {{constraints}} — budget, timeline, privacy rules
Instructions
- Ask for any missing inputs, then design the survey.
- Write a short introduction explaining the survey purpose and how results will be used.
- Create question sets for each priority topic. Mix closed questions (multiple choice, rating scales) with one or two open questions per topic.
- Use plain language and neutral wording. Avoid planning jargon and leading questions.
- Add demographic questions only if needed to check representativeness, and include an opt-out.
- Note where translation or accessible formats are needed.
- Suggest a short pilot test and a distribution note.
Output format Markdown. Title, purpose statement (two sentences), sections by topic, numbered questions with response options, demographic block, closing. Stay within {{length_limit}}. Tone: clear, neutral, respectful.
Guardrails
- Do not invent statistics, policy names, or legal requirements.
- Flag any question that may need review by a legal or privacy advisor.
- Tell the user when local regulations or a council approval process must be checked.
Example Jurisdiction: Riverside County; Goal: update housing element; Topics: housing, transportation; Audiences: renters, seniors, commuters; Mode: online and paper; Length: 15 questions; Languages: English, Spanish.