150 fun poll questions for any group or audience

A fun poll question is not the same as a funny one. The funny ones get a laugh and a unanimous answer. The fun ones split the room, and the argument afterwards is the point.

Below, sorted by where you are asking. If you only want the reliable ones, start with the first section.

The reliable arguments

These split almost any group, which is what makes them worth asking.

• Pineapple on pizza: yes or no?
• Cereal before milk or milk before cereal?
• Is a hot dog a sandwich?
• Toilet paper over or under?
• Ketchup in the fridge or the cupboard?
• Shoes on or off indoors?
• Do you rewatch films or only watch new ones?
• Text back instantly or three days later?
• Is water wet?
• Should you tip on takeaway?
• Sweet popcorn or salty?
• Do you make the bed every morning?

Food and drink

• Coffee or tea?
• Thin crust or deep dish?
• Sweet breakfast or savoury?
• Cook at home or order in?
• Chocolate or vanilla?
• Sparkling or still?
• Burgers or tacos?
• Spicy or mild?
• Breakfast for dinner: yes or no?
• Brunch or dinner?
• Wine or beer?
• Dessert or another starter?

Everyday preferences

• Window seat or aisle?
• Dark mode or light mode?
• Print book or e-reader?
• Morning shower or evening shower?
• Tidy desk or productive chaos?
• Podcasts or music?
• Notifications on or off?
• Plan the week or take it as it comes?
• Big city or small town?
• Early bird or night owl?
• Cash or card?
• Stairs or lift?

For work

Keep work polls concrete or you will get agreeable, useless answers.

• Camera on or camera off?
• Meeting or written update?
• Ship Friday or ship Monday?
• Slack or email?
• Remote or in the office?
• Cut the scope or move the date?
• Standing desk or sitting?
• Notes typed or on paper?
• Async standup or fifteen minutes live?
• More process or more autonomy?

For classrooms

Low stakes, everyone can answer, nobody has to be clever.

• Summer holidays or winter holidays?
• Maths or English?
• Read the book or watch the film?
• Group project or work alone?
• Exam or coursework?
• Break time or lunch time?
• School uniform: yes or no?
• Sports day or school trip?
• Morning lessons or afternoon lessons?

For streams and live audiences

Fast, visible, and better if the result changes what happens next.

• Play it safe or go for it?
• Next game: this or that?
• Keep going or call it here?
• Hard mode or story mode?
• Rematch or move on?
• New series or finish this one?
• Face cam on or off for this bit?
• Chat picks the name or I do?

For social media

• Post it today or wait for the weekend?
• This cover or that one?
• Long version or short version?
• Behind the scenes or finished work only?
• Reply to comments on camera or in text?
• Weekly or twice a week?

Hypotheticals

• Fly or be invisible?
• Unlimited time or unlimited money?
• Read minds or see a week ahead?
• Talk to animals or speak every language?
• Always too hot or always too cold?
• A rewind button or a pause button?
• Never use headphones again or never use a keyboard again?
• Be famous and disliked or unknown and respected?

Seasonal

• Real tree or fake tree?
• Summer or winter?
• Halloween or Christmas?
• Gift or gift card?
• Host or be hosted?
• New year resolutions or no resolutions?
• Beach holiday or ski trip?

What makes a poll question fun

You cannot guess the answer. If you know the result before you ask, you are broadcasting, not asking. Aim for the ones where you genuinely do not know.

Both sides are defensible. "Should we be kind to people?" is not a question. The fun comes from the fact that reasonable people disagree.

It is about something small. Big questions produce careful, hedged answers. Small questions produce honest ones, which is why the ketchup question causes more argument than any question about values ever will.

People can see the split. Half the pleasure of answering is finding out whether you were in the majority. Withhold the result and people stop voting.

Running them

Pick one, not twenty. Give it a deadline so there is a moment when the answer arrives. Then show the result and say what you think.

If you want to run one properly, make a poll — it takes about thirty seconds and people can answer without an account, so you are not limited to whoever has signed up.

For more by situation, the this-or-that list is sorted by group, the would-you-rather list covers the hypotheticals in depth, and there is a guide to writing your own.