Two weeks ago, I attended my first and only AFL match of the season. It triggered some intense questioning:

Survey from the AFL: 65 questions

Survey from GWS: 57 questions

I’m all for measuring satisfaction and identifying opportunities for improvement, but these surveys were too long and too intrusive.

For example:

“Taking into account all cash, EFTPOS, credit cards and cheques can you please tell us how much money was spent because of your attendance.”

“How much did you personally spend on the following items (from the time you left home to the time you returned home)?”

“Approximately what would be your total household income per annum before tax?”

As a marketer I get it. I imagine they want to try to quantify the financial impact of AFL games on the community. But as a consumer it’s unpleasant and leaves a bad taste.

It’s also likely that the more probing the questions the less willing people will be to provide accurate answers (I just made mine up) and the more unlikely it is that they will complete the survey.

There are no winners in this scenario.

A Better Way Forward: The Two-Stage Approach

Here's a proposed solution:

Survey Stage 1: "Can we ask you some questions about your experience at the game?" → Submit

Survey Stage 2: "Thanks! Would you be willing to answer some additional questions about the AFL?"

This approach respects fan privacy, maintains goodwill, and likely improves data quality.

→ What's your take on this? Have you experienced similar “too much information” surveys in sports or other industries?