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A Guide From Domandata

What Social-Science Surveys Need: A Software Checklist

Written by Domandata, which makes a survey platform. We name our product where it fits and say where another tool fits better. Claims about other tools link to their own documentation, checked ; confirm anything decisive with the vendor or your institution.

General survey tools are built to collect opinions. Social-science studies ask more: random assignment you can prove, measurement that survives replication, sensitive questions, panel recruitment, and data that goes straight into R or Stata.

This guide turns those needs into concrete requirements, explains how to test each one in a pilot before you commit, and notes which tools fit common designs.

The short answer

Require five things: randomization you can audit from the export, routing and quotas you can see and test, the specialized formats your design uses, labelled exports with a codebook, and data handling your IRB accepts. Then pilot every path. Qualtrics and Domandata cover most social-science survey designs; add oTree for interactive games and Gorilla or PsychoPy for timed tasks.

Requirements, and how to test them

  1. 1

    Auditable random assignment

    The assigned condition, randomized question order, and answer-option order should be columns in your data. Test: run 30 pilot responses and check that every condition appears and is recorded.

  2. 2

    Balanced or stratified allocation

    Simple randomization can leave small cells unbalanced. If cells are small, look for weighted, balanced, or stratified assignment. Test: inspect allocation counts after a pilot or simulated run.

  3. 3

    Visible routing and quotas

    Branching scattered across many question settings is where errors hide. Prefer a view of the whole flow, and quotas that send over-quota respondents to a defined ending. Test: walk every path, including screen-outs.

  4. 4

    Specialized designs

    Conjoint, list experiments, vignettes, MaxDiff, and randomized response each need support beyond a standard question. Test: build one task exactly as preregistered and export it.

  5. 5

    Recruitment handoff

    Participant IDs from Prolific, CloudResearch, or a panel must be captured, and completion, screen-out, and quota-full redirects sent back. Test: launch a small pilot through the recruitment platform itself.

  6. 6

    Data-quality signals

    Attention checks, speeding and straightlining flags, and duplicate detection help you apply preregistered exclusions consistently. Test: confirm the flags appear in the export, not only in a dashboard.

  7. 7

    Labelled, analysis-ready exports

    Variable names you choose, value labels, and a codebook. Test: open a pilot export in R or Stata and run your analysis script end to end.

  8. 8

    Translation and accessibility

    Cross-national work needs translated versions that share variable names, including right-to-left scripts, and every respondent needs an accessible survey. Test: preview each language and complete the survey using only a keyboard.

Tools that fit common social-science designs

Survey experiments and conjoint

Both cover randomized arms, quotas, and complex routing. Domandata records assignment and display order for every respondent, exports both by default, and builds conjoint and list experiments without scripting; Qualtrics offers the broadest general feature set.

DomandataOur product

Browser-based survey platform built for academic social-science research: survey experiments, conjoint, and analysis-ready data.

Pricing model
Free plan for drafting and previewing; fielding a study, Flow logic, and exports need a paid individual or team plan with published self-serve pricing.
Where it runs
Cloud only, on U.S.-based infrastructure providers.

Strengths

  • Randomized treatment arms (weighted, stratified, or balanced) with the assigned condition saved in every export.
  • Conjoint, MaxDiff, list experiments, and reaction-time tasks built in, without custom JavaScript.
  • Native SPSS (.sav) and Stata (.dta) exports with a generated codebook, plus Qualtrics .qsf import.
  • Links OSF preregistrations and deposits replication materials to Harvard Dataverse or Zenodo.

Watch out for

  • Does not sign HIPAA Business Associate Agreements, so it is not suitable for studies that require one.
  • Cannot be self-hosted, and the data-hosting region is not fixed by contract.
  • The free plan cannot collect responses; fielding a study requires a paid plan.
  • A newer, smaller vendor: its SOC 2 Type I audit is still in progress, which some IT reviews ask for.

Sources:Domandata PricingDomandata Trust Center

Qualtrics

Enterprise survey platform that many universities license campus-wide, and the default tool in much of academic survey research.

Pricing model
Usually an institutional license at no personal cost to students and staff, on terms set by your university's agreement. A capped free account is meant for trying the platform.
Where it runs
Cloud only. Publishes ISO 27001 and FedRAMP certifications.

Strengths

  • If your university licenses it, it is already paid for and usually reviewed by IT.
  • Mature, deep feature set, including Survey Flow randomizers and quotas.
  • Exports to CSV, Excel, and SPSS.

Watch out for

  • Access depends on your institution; leaving it can mean losing the license.
  • The free account caps responses, active surveys, and questions per survey, which rules out most studies.

Sources:Qualtrics Free AccountsQualtrics Account CreationQualtrics RandomizerQualtrics Security

Interactive games and markets

Strategic interaction between live participants needs synchronous sessions, which survey platforms are not built for.

oTree

Python framework for interactive, multiplayer experiments such as economic games and markets, which also supports surveys.

Pricing model
Free under an MIT-style license that asks you to cite the oTree paper in publications.
Where it runs
Self-hosted on Heroku or your own server.

Strengths

  • Real-time interaction between participants, which survey platforms generally do not offer.
  • Free and open source.

Watch out for

  • Requires Python programming.
  • You set up and run the server.

Sources:oTreeoTree Server Setup

Timed and implicit-attitude tasks

Domandata includes a reaction-time question for tasks embedded in a survey; dedicated experiment builders give more control over stimuli and timing for full cognitive paradigms.

Gorilla Experiment Builder

No-code builder for online behavioral experiments and questionnaires, common in psychology.

Pricing model
Building and testing are free; you pay per participant with tokens, with academic discounts and lab or institution subscriptions.
Where it runs
Cloud only, on Microsoft Azure in Ireland, with a GDPR data-processing agreement.

Strengths

  • Reaction-time tasks and questionnaires in one study without coding.
  • A code editor is available when the visual builder is not enough.
  • Recruitment targets cap how much a study can spend.
  • Exports trial-level (long) or one-row-per-participant data as CSV or Excel.

Watch out for

  • Cost scales with sample size, since every participant uses a token.
  • Makes no HIPAA claim; compliance responsibility sits with the researcher.

Sources:Gorilla Pricing FAQGorilla Data ExportsGorilla Due Diligence

PsychoPy and Pavlovia

Open-source software for building cognitive and behavioral experiments with a graphical Builder or Python code; Pavlovia runs them online.

Pricing model
PsychoPy is free. On Pavlovia, piloting is free and collecting data is paid per participant or through an institutional license.
Where it runs
PsychoPy runs on your own computer for lab studies; Pavlovia is a cloud service.

Strengths

  • Designed for precise stimulus timing in cognitive tasks.
  • A graphical Builder, with Python for anything custom.
  • Free for in-lab studies.

Watch out for

  • Advanced work needs Python or JavaScript.
  • Online fielding costs money unless your institution holds a license.

Sources:PsychoPyPsychoPy and Pavlovia PricingPavlovia Piloting and Running

Diary and longitudinal studies

Repeated measures need scheduled invitations and reminders tied to each participant, which both tools support.

formr

Open-source survey framework from the University of Göttingen that chains surveys into automated runs for diary and longitudinal studies.

Pricing model
Free; researcher accounts are requested from the maintainers.
Where it runs
Hosted at formr.org, or self-hosted.

Strengths

  • Automated email and text reminders for repeated measures.
  • Deep R integration for item logic and personalized feedback.

Watch out for

  • Advanced use needs R.
  • Accounts are approved by administrators.

Sources:formrformr Documentation

REDCap

Secure web application for surveys and research databases, developed at Vanderbilt and widely used in clinical and health research.

Pricing model
No charge to non-profit institutions that join the REDCap consortium; not available to individuals or commercial organizations.
Where it runs
Installed and supported by your institution. Can be configured to support HIPAA and 21 CFR Part 11 compliance.

Strengths

  • Built for sensitive and regulated data, with audit trails.
  • Branching, calculated fields, longitudinal scheduling, and a mobile app.
  • Exports to SPSS, SAS, Stata, and R.

Watch out for

  • Only available if your institution runs an installation.
  • Features and support depend on how your institution configures and staffs it.

Sources:REDCap SoftwareJoining the REDCap Consortium

European data-protection requirements

Both offer EU hosting or self-hosting, which some data-protection offices require.

SoSci Survey

Professional questionnaire tool from Munich, widely used in European social science.

Pricing model
Free for non-commercial scholarly projects and non-profits; commercial use is paid.
Where it runs
Cloud servers in Munich, or install it on your own server.

Strengths

  • Free for most academic projects.
  • Labelled exports for SPSS, R, and Stata, plus a codebook.
  • Programmable survey paths for complex designs.

Watch out for

  • Free projects are time-limited and may not collect personal data under the GDPR; that requires the paid server.

Sources:SoSci Survey for AcademicsSoSci Survey Data Download

LimeSurvey

Open-source survey platform you can host yourself or use as a hosted cloud service.

Pricing model
Community Edition is free to self-host under the GPL; LimeSurvey Cloud has a free tier and paid subscriptions, with education discounts.
Where it runs
Self-hosted or cloud, with cloud regions including Germany and Finland and a GDPR data-processing agreement.

Strengths

  • Full control of the data when you host it yourself.
  • Exports to SPSS, R (via a plugin), Stata, CSV, and Excel.

Watch out for

  • Self-hosting requires someone to maintain, secure, and update the server.
  • Routing is written as relevance equations, and some statistical exports need extra configuration.

Sources:LimeSurvey PricingLimeSurvey Exporting ResultsLimeSurvey ExpressionScript

Field surveys without reliable internet

Face-to-face surveys in low-connectivity settings need offline collection on a phone or tablet.

KoboToolbox

Data-collection platform from the nonprofit Kobo, built for field, humanitarian, and low-connectivity research.

Pricing model
Free Community Plan for nonprofit users, with a monthly submission cap; paid plans add capacity, and for-profit organizations contact sales.
Where it runs
Public global server, public EU server, or a private server.

Strengths

  • Offline data collection on Android and in offline-capable web forms.
  • GPS, photo, and audio capture for fieldwork.

Watch out for

  • SPSS export is a labels syntax file to apply to CSV data, not a ready .sav file.
  • Monthly submission cap on the free plan.

Sources:About KoboToolboxKoboToolbox ExportsKoboCollectKoboToolbox Accounts and Plans

Pre-launch checklist

  • Every condition appears in pilot data with its assignment recorded
  • Question-order and answer-order randomization is exported
  • Every route ends in the right place, including screen-outs and quota-full
  • Recruitment IDs arrive and redirects return correctly
  • Attention and quality checks match the preregistered exclusion rules
  • Variable names and value labels match the analysis script
  • The instrument you fielded is saved as a dated record
  • Each translation previews correctly and uses the same variable names

Frequently Asked Questions

What survey software do political scientists use?

Many use Qualtrics through a university license, combined with Prolific, CloudResearch, or a panel vendor for recruitment. Researchers running interactive experiments use oTree, and European scholars often use SoSci Survey or LimeSurvey. Domandata is built specifically for social-science survey experiments.

Do I need custom code to run a survey experiment?

Not usually. Most research survey platforms can randomize respondents into conditions without code. Code becomes necessary for unusual designs, such as permutation constraints or interactive play, or in tools without built-in features, and custom scripts are harder to audit, so test them carefully.

How do I show that my randomization worked?

Export the assigned condition and display order for every respondent, then check balance on pre-treatment covariates and confirm that condition counts match your allocation plan. Choose a tool that records assignment in the data, not only in a dashboard.

Which survey tools export directly to Stata or SPSS?

REDCap, SoSci Survey, LimeSurvey, and Domandata document Stata exports, and Qualtrics and SurveyMonkey document SPSS exports, which R and Stata can also read. Google Forms and Microsoft Forms export spreadsheets only. Always test an export with your own analysis script before launch.

Keep Reading

Survey Experiments Guide

Conditions, assignment, power, and analysis in order.

Conjoint Analysis Guide

Attributes, randomized profiles, and analysis-ready exports.

Panel Recruitment Guide

IDs, screeners, quotas, and redirects for online panels.

Why Domandata

Our own case for Domandata, and when to use another tool.