How to Make a Google Form Anonymous

Google Forms is a free and easy-to-use survey tool that makes it simple to gather feedback, run quizzes, and collect data. But what if you want to keep your participants’ responses private? That’s where anonymous surveys come in.

Whether you’re collecting sensitive employee feedback or encouraging honest opinions from customers, anonymity can help improve both the quality and quantity of responses.

In this guide, we’ll explain what anonymous surveys are, why they matter, and walk you step-by-step through making your Google Form anonymous. We’ll also explore the advantages and disadvantages of anonymity, as well as alternatives if you require a more advanced solution.

Key Takeaways:

• Anonymous surveys don’t collect personal details like names, emails, or login data.
• To make Google Forms anonymous, disable email collection and sign-in requirements in settings.
• Anonymous surveys often encourage more honesty and higher participation, but they limit follow-up and context.
• Google Forms works well for simple anonymous surveys, while Activity Messenger offers advanced tools like branded templates, SMS delivery, and survey automation alongside anonymous options.

 

Table of Contents

• What Is an Anonymous Survey?
• Step 1: Create a New Google Form
• Step 2: Add Your Questions
• Step 3: Change Settings to Keep It Anonymous
• Step 4: Share and Test Your Form
• Pros and Cons of Anonymous Surveys
• Why Consider a Google Forms Alternative?
• Quick Comparison: Google Forms vs Microsoft Forms vs Activity Messenger
• Final Thoughts: Making Anonymous Surveys Work for You

 

What Is an Anonymous Survey?

An anonymous survey is a survey in which participants’ identities are not collected or attached to their responses. Unlike typical surveys, an anonymous form does not ask for names, email addresses, or any personally identifiable information (PII).

The key purpose of an anonymous survey is to encourage honesty. Respondents often hold back when they know their answers could be tied to them, especially when sharing feedback about supervisors, instructors, policies, or sensitive personal experiences.

Anonymous surveys are ideal when:

• Gathering employee satisfaction or engagement data, where staff may fear repercussions.
• Collecting student course evaluations so students feel comfortable providing constructive feedback.
• Running customer satisfaction or product feedback surveys to get more authentic opinions.

Collecting sensitive information, such as wellness checks or personal experiences, where confidentiality is critical.

Step 1: Create a New Google Form

Start by navigating to Google Forms. You’ll be greeted by the Google Gemini assistant with suggestions on possible forms you can create using the service.

You can describe the form you want to create to access a pre-designed template to save time, or you can start from scratch to fully customize every aspect of your survey. To start from scratch, select the “x” in the top-right corner to exit the assistant and start building your form.

When choosing your format, consider your audience. For example, a workplace survey might use a blank form, allowing you to carefully craft neutral and unbiased questions. A customer feedback survey might benefit from a template with built-in rating scales and suggested questions.

Step 2: Add Your Questions

Once you’ve created your form, add questions tailored to your goals. Google Forms offers a variety of question types:

• Short Answer / Paragraph: For open-ended feedback or detailed suggestions.
• Multiple Choice: Ideal for straightforward questions with clear options.
• Checkboxes: For when you want respondents to select multiple options for one question.
• Dropdown: Useful when you have many options but want to save space.
• Linear Scale: Helps measure satisfaction or agreement on a 1–5 or 1–10 scale.
• Rating: Helps measure satisfaction or agreement on a star scale from 1–5.
• Date / Time: Collect information about scheduling preferences or event dates.

Tips for question design:

• Keep questions clear and concise. Ambiguity can confuse respondents and affect the quality of your data.
• Avoid leading questions that suggest a “correct” answer. For example, instead of asking, “How great is our customer service?” ask, “How would you rate our customer service?”
• Use required fields sparingly. Too many required questions can discourage participants from completing the survey.

Step 3: Adjust Settings to Keep It Anonymous

Making a Google Form anonymous primarily involves adjusting its settings. Here’s how:

1. Click Settings at the top of the form.
2. Under the Responses section, in the “Collect email addresses” section, choose “Do not collect.”
3. Ensure that ‘Limit to 1 response’ is unchecked, as this setting requires participants to log in with a Google account.

These two steps ensure that respondents do not have to provide any identifying information, and their responses cannot be traced back to them.

Step 4: Share and Test Your Form

Before distributing your survey, always preview it using the eye icon in the top right corner. Check that:

• No login is required
• No email addresses are requested
• Questions display correctly on desktop and mobile

Once confirmed, share your survey through:

• Direct link via email, social media, or messaging apps
• Embedded form on your website or intranet
• QR code for easy scanning

Pros and Cons of Anonymous Surveys

Pros:

• ✅ Honest responses: People feel safe sharing real opinions without fear of judgment.
• ✅ Encourages participation: Without the hassle of logging in or providing personal info, more people are likely to complete your survey.
• ✅ Simplified data collection: You only gather the responses you need, reducing clutter and making analysis simpler.
• ✅ Reduces potential bias: Without names or roles attached, your analysis can focus solely on trends and feedback, not personalities.

Cons:

• ❌ No follow-up: You cannot clarify ambiguous responses or request additional details.
• ❌ Lower accountability: Respondents might rush through questions or provide less thoughtful answers.
• ❌ Limited context: Without knowing who responded, you may miss demographic or role-specific insights that make your data actionable.
• ❌ Potential for duplicate responses: Since participants aren’t signing in, there’s a slight risk that someone could submit multiple entries unless you use additional safeguards.

Why Consider a Google Forms Alternative?

Google Forms is excellent for simple surveys, but it has limitations for program-based organizations, event planners, and schools. Activity Messenger provides advanced functionality that addresses these gaps:

• Multi-channel survey delivery: Send surveys via email and SMS to reach participants wherever they are.
• Automation: Schedule surveys to go out automatically after events, classes, or program milestones.
• Full branding: Customize forms with your logo, colours, and Canva-designed visuals.
• Integrated platform: Combine surveys with registration forms, digital waivers, payment processing, and attendance tracking.

Anonymous surveys are just the beginning of how Activity Messenger helps you keep programs organized and participants informed.

Quick Comparison: Google Forms vs Microsoft Forms vs Activity Messenger

Feature	Google Forms	Microsoft Forms	Activity Messenger
Anonymous Options	✅ Disable email collection & sign-in	✅ Adjust login/PII settings	✅ Fully flexible anonymity
Ease of Use	✅ Free, simple interface	✅ Intuitive for Microsoft 365 users	✅ User-friendly with automation & workflow integration
Branding	⚠️ Limited	⚠️ Limited	✅ Full Canva integration, logos, and colours
Distribution	✅ Link, embed, QR	✅ Link, Teams, QR	✅ Email, SMS, QR, website embed
Automation	❌ None	⚠️ Limited	✅ Advanced recurring surveys & workflows
Analytics	⚠️ Basic charts & Sheets export	⚠️ Basic charts & Excel export	✅ Real-time analytics, detailed filtering

Final Thoughts: Making Anonymous Surveys Work for You

If you’re looking for a simple, free way to gather anonymous feedback, Google Forms is a solid choice. It’s intuitive, easy to set up, and integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace.

For organizations wanting more control, automation, and multi-channel survey delivery, Activity Messenger offers an all-in-one platform to manage surveys alongside registrations, payments, waivers, and attendance. You can create anonymous forms, gather honest feedback, and leverage the data to improve programs— all from a single dashboard.

 

👉 Ready to create smarter, more effective surveys? Book a demo with Activity Messenger today and discover how anonymous surveys can be part of a complete participant management system.