How to Analyze Google Forms Responses in Excel?

Google Forms is a popular survey research tool that many businesses utilize. It enables you to make and send unlimited questionnaires to your target audiences.

As an online survey tool, the Google Forms responses you receive appear and are tabulated immediately. This is a significant advantage for several reasons:

• It saves you the hassle of tallying scores and results.
• You can view Google Forms responses as soon as they appear.
• You can respond faster to audience feedback and insights.

While these are helpful features, they don’t provide the best analysis environment. You want to dig deep into the data and extract actionable insights. For this, you’ll want to export the results to a spreadsheet.

As you’ll see in this guide, it’s easy to learn how to share Google Forms responses with others through Excel, Google Sheets or another tool. You can collaborate on analyzing the results and deciding what to do next.

The end goal is to chart your Google Forms responses. Understanding how to get Google Forms responses into a visual format will help your analysis significantly.

This discussion will look at how to get Google Forms responses to Excel. You’ll also learn strategies for charting your survey results in Excel.

Table of Content:

1. What are Google Forms Responses?
2. Video Tutorial: How to Create a Chart For Google Form Responses
3. Why are Responses in Google Forms Useful?
4. How to See Google Forms Responses?
5. How to Close Google Form Responses?
6. How to View Google Form Responses of Different Types?
7. How to Download & Export Responses from Google Forms to Excel?
8. How to Analyze Google Forms Responses in Excel?
9. How to Manage Google Forms Responses?
10. FAQs
11. Wrap Up

What are Google Forms Responses?

Definition: Google Forms responses are the answers or data submitted by users who fill out a Google Form. These responses are automatically collected and stored in the form’s dashboard, where they can be viewed in summary charts, downloaded, or linked directly to Google Sheets or Excel for detailed analysis and record-keeping.

Whenever someone completes your questionnaires, the number of Google Forms responses increments. So, at the start of your survey, you’ll have 0 responses.

For each person who completes the questionnaire, the number will increment. In other words, your Google Forms responses are the number of people to complete your survey.

Moreover, they are the specific answers to your questionnaires that participants submit. Depending on the types of survey questions you ask, your Google Forms responses may be open-ended or closed.

Here’s an example of a question that creates an open-ended Google Forms response:

Closed-ended question types give the audience a set of answers to choose from. Here’s an example:

You can add more options using a Google Forms multiple-choice grid question. Additional options pack more data into your possible feedback results.

Essentially, your Google Forms responses form the basis of your survey data collection.

Video Tutorial: How to Create a Chart For Google Form Responses

Why are Responses in Google Forms Useful?

Responses in Google Forms are valuable because they turn raw feedback into structured data you can analyze and act on. Instead of manually collecting and sorting answers, the tool organizes everything automatically in one place.

• Instant Organization: All responses are stored in a central dashboard, making it easy to review results without sorting through individual entries.
• Built-in Analysis: Google Forms automatically generates charts and summaries, giving quick insights into trends and patterns.
• Seamless Integration: Responses can be linked directly to Google Sheets for more detailed analysis, reporting, or visualization.
• Time-Saving: Automating data collection reduces manual work, helping you focus on interpretation and decision-making.

How to See Google Forms Responses?

To learn how to get Google Forms responses, you first need to know how to make a questionnaire with this tool.

It’s a straightforward process. First, choose a template or start with a blank form. The best survey templates are the Customer/Student Feedback and Post Event Feedback options.

Whether you choose a blank or templated form, you can edit any component. This includes:

• Adding and removing questions
• Setting requirements for certain items
• Managing how participants respond to each question
• Supplying video or image elements to your survey
• Ordering your questions

Afterward, you’ll send your questionnaire via email or a direct link. Once people answer the questions, you need to know how to see Google Forms responses in the tool. Simply hit the “Responses” tab at the top of the page.

Your Google Forms responses and data will appear under this tab.

How to Close Google Form Responses?

• Step 1: Open your Google Form and go to the Responses tab at the top.

• Step 2: Locate the toggle button labeled “Accepting responses.”

• Step 3: Switch the toggle off. Once turned off, your form will stop collecting new responses.

• Step 4: (Optional) Add a custom message in the “Not accepting responses” box to let people know why the form is closed.

How to View Google Form Responses of Different Types?

When you receive completed questionnaires, there are a few different types of Google Forms responses or ways to view the data.

The initial view is a summary. This page includes all of your questions.

• View Google Forms responses by question

You can look closer at the Google Forms responses for individual questions by clicking the appropriate “Question” tab.

This will give you a page summary for every question. You’ll see how many people selected each option. It also allows you to see which participants selected each choice.

• View Google Forms responses by person

Alternatively, you can view your Google Forms responses for each individual. This will show you the complete questionnaire answers for each person who completes it.

You can use the arrows at the top to change which respondent’s answers you’re viewing. Then, you can scroll down the page to see their complete answers.

This view is excellent when you mix open and closed questions. You can use the two types to qualify the individual’s answers.

• View all Google Forms responses in a spreadsheet

Google Forms gives a detailed view of your responses and survey data, but for complete insights, you may want to use the Google Form response spreadsheet.

A Google Form response spreadsheet is an excellent way to organize results and prepare them for deeper analysis, especially with data visualization

You can export responses from Google Forms to Google Sheets in just two clicks. From the “Responses” tab, click the “Link to Sheets” option.

You can then add your Google Forms responses to an existing spreadsheet or create a new one.

How to Download & Export Responses from Google Forms to Excel?

Google Forms free tool, offers a basic overview of your response data. However, you may want to export the responses from Google Forms to Excel for deeper analysis.

For Excel users, the process is a little longer, but still very easy. Instead of clicking “Link to Sheets,” you’ll choose the three vertical dots next to it.

This creates a dropdown menu with the option to download your responses as a .csv file.

Choose the location on your device for the file download to go. Then, open up Excel, import the .csv file, and presto! Your Google Forms data is now in Excel!

How to Analyze Google Forms Responses in Excel?

Spreadsheets in Excel and Google Sheets have their apparent advantages in viewing the results of Google Form responses. They also have some drawbacks, particularly in Google Forms response analysis.

Again, spreadsheets are great for collecting, organizing, and even sharing data. They are a necessary tool for viewing the results of Google Form responses. However, they fall short when carrying out more complex analyses, such as Multivariate Analysis.

The problem has to do with how your brain “reads” and processes information. Raw text and numbers are one of the least efficient delivery methods. This is why it takes us many hours to read a book, but only one or two to watch a movie.

It’s the classic expression ” A picture is worth a thousand words”. The same adage is true in Google Forms response analysis. A chart is worth a thousand numbers (sometimes tens of thousands)!

Once your survey data is in Excel, it’s very easy to turn it into a visualization. For the best survey charts, we recommend downloading ChartExpo, an add-in for Excel from the Microsoft App Source.

ChartExpo enhances charting in Excel in two major ways. First, it adds several new chart types not previously found in Excel. This includes options like the Likert Scale Chart or CSAT Score Survey Chart.

How to Install ChartExpo in Microsoft Excel?

1. Open your Excel application.
2. Open the worksheet and click on the “Insert” menu.
3. You’ll see the “My Apps”.
4. In the office Add-ins window, click on “Store” and search for ChartExpo on my Apps Store.
5. Click on the “Add” button to install ChartExpo in your Excel.

ChartExpo charts and graphs are available both in Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. Please use the following CTA’s to install the tool of your choice and create beautiful visualizations in a few clicks in your favorite tool.

Let’s say you want to do a student satisfaction survey. Let’s have a look at the questions that you want to ask:

• How satisfied are you with the quality of teaching?
• How satisfied are you with the academic resources?
• How satisfied are you with the administrative services?
• How satisfied are you with the availability of extracurricular activities?

Below are the responses (feedback) that are associated with each question:

1. Frustrated
2. Dissatisfied
3. Neutral
4. Satisfied
5. Delighted

Once your data is ready in Excel, it may look like the table below.

Timestamp	How satisfied are you with the quality of teaching?	How satisfied are you with the academic resources?	How satisfied are you with the administrative services?	How satisfied are you with the availability of extracurricular activities?
10-13-2023 17:47:33	Neutral	Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Delighted
10-13-2023 17:47:33	Delighted	Delighted	Frustrated	Neutral
10-13-2023 17:47:33	Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Delighted	Dissatisfied
10-13-2023 17:47:33	Delighted	Delighted	Delighted	Satisfied
10-13-2023 17:47:33	Neutral	Satisfied	Neutral	Satisfied
10-13-2023 17:47:33	Satisfied	Neutral	Delighted	Delighted
10-13-2023 17:47:33	Delighted	Frustrated	Delighted	Frustrated
10-13-2023 17:47:33	Dissatisfied	Delighted	Delighted	Satisfied
10-13-2023 17:47:33	Frustrated	Neutral	Satisfied	Delighted
10-13-2023 17:47:33	Satisfied	Satisfied	Satisfied	Delighted
10-13-2023 17:47:33	Delighted	Satisfied	Frustrated	Satisfied

• To get started with ChartExpo, install ChartExpo in Excel.
• Now, click on My Apps from the INSERT menu.

• Choose ChartExpo from My Apps, then click Insert.

• Once ChartExpo is loaded. Click on “Likert Scale Chart” from the list of charts.

• Click the “Create Chart From Selection” button after selecting the data from the sheet, as shown.

• When you click on Create Chart From Selection, you have to manually map responses with numbers. The Likert scale has this arrangement:
  • Frustrated = 1
  • Dissatisfied = 2
  • Neutral = 3
  • Satisfied = 4
  • Delighted = 5
• Once all set, click on Create Chart.

• The Likert Scale Chart will look as follows.p[;

• If you want to have the title of the chart, click on Edit Chart, as shown in the above image.
• To change the title of the chart, click on the pencil icon that is available very next to the Chart Header.
• It will open the properties dialog. Under the Text section, you can add a heading in Line 1 and enable the Show option. Give the appropriate title of your chart and click on the Apply button.

• Let’s say you want to add text responses instead of numbers against every emoji.
• Click on the pencil icon next to the respective emoji, expand the “Label” properties, and write the required text. After that, click on the “Apply All” button.
• For saving changes, click on Save Changes. This will persist the changes.

• Your final chart will look like the as below.

Insights

• 36% responded that they are delighted with the quality of teaching. 27% of students indicated that they were satisfied with the quality of teaching, 18% of students indicated that they were dissatisfied with the quality of teaching, 9% were frustrated with the quality of teaching, and 18% of students remained neutral.
• 54% of students indicated that they were content with the academic resources, 18% of students indicated that they were dissatisfied with the academic resources, and 9% were frustrated.
• 45% of students indicated that they were delighted with the administrative services, and 18% of students indicated that they were frustrated with the administrative services.
• 72% of students indicated that they were gratified with the extracurricular activities, and 18% of students indicated that they were unhappy with the extracurricular activities.

Overall, 36% of students responded that they are delighted with school, and 27% of students said that they were satisfied with school, which makes a total of 63% who are content with the school.

11% of students said that they are frustrated with school, and 11% of students said that they are dissatisfied with the school, which makes a total of 22% who are unhappy with school. 14% of students remained neutral while giving the response.

How to Manage Google Forms Responses?

As you continue to view your Google Forms responses, you may find the need to manage the data. For instance, you may want to use Google Forms to delete responses.

This is a slippery slope. Deleting data can create inaccurate or biased results. However, you may want to know how to delete Google Forms responses because you’ve received inappropriate feedback. You don’t want this feedback in your reports.

Thus, you should strongly consider the impact whenever you’re looking at how to delete Google Forms responses. You can not recover Google Forms deleted responses.

To find the Google Forms delete responses function, use the “Individual” results view. You can then choose to delete any person’s responses.

FAQs

Where can I find my Google Form responses?

You can view responses directly in the Google Form by clicking the “Responses” tab. You can also link the form to a Google Sheet to see all entries in a spreadsheet.

Can anyone see Google Form responses?

No, only the form creator and collaborators with permission can see responses. Respondents cannot view other people’s submissions unless the creator enables response summaries to be shared.

Why are my Google Form responses not showing up?

This usually happens if the form is not accepting responses, the internet connection was interrupted during submission, or the responses are stored in a linked Google Sheet but not updated. Double-check that the form is still active and connected to the correct sheet.

Wrap Up

Google Forms makes it remarkably easy to create and share questionnaires. These feedback forms are vital for gathering audience insights. You can then use these insights to improve products, experiences, campaigns, etc.

Knowing how to see Google Forms responses from your questionnaires is the first step to analyzing results.

One of the benefits of this tool is that you can view Google Forms responses in real-time. As soon as someone completes your questionnaire, the results page updates. The agility of how to get Google Forms response data enables you to act swiftly on the latest audience insights.

For even faster survey data analysis, you can view Google Forms responses in Excel. This makes it easier to analyze your results and discover actionable insights. You’ll be improving key business strategies in no time!

That said, survey data can quickly build and become overwhelming. A single Google Forms multiple-choice grid question can create tons of data by itself. If your questionnaire includes many items, the data grows exponentially.

To avoid analyzing overloaded spreadsheets, we recommend charting your Google Forms responses with ChartExpo. This Excel add-in will turn your results into beautiful survey charts, shortening the path to insight substantially.

Together, these tools help you get to know your audience in new and impactful ways.