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Multi-select on text entry autocomplete question

  • April 17, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 7 views

kgillis
Level 6 ●●●●●●
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I have a question that requires respondents to select one or more options from a list of 100+ items, and I'm trying to find the best way to balance usability with data cleanliness.

Here's my dilemma: Autocomplete is ideal for long lists because it dynamically narrows options as the respondent types — but it only supports single selection. Multiple choice with multi-select works for allowing more than one answer, but forcing someone to scroll through 100+ options is a poor experience.

The workaround I've considered is stacking multiple autocomplete fields sequentially, using display logic to show each successive field only if the respondent indicates they have another selection to make. The problem is that this could get unwieldy fast — imagine someone needing to make 8–10 selections. I've also thought about achieving something similar through Loop & Merge, but the experience still feels clunky relative to what I'm after.

My ideal solution is a true multi-select autocomplete — a field where respondents can type to filter and select, then continue adding selections from the same list. The goal is to keep entries standardized (no free-text misspellings) so the data stays clean for filtering and analytics on the back end.

@TomG - I saw your response HERE from a few years back on a similar issue and was hoping you might be able to point me in the right direction.

Has anyone been able to accomplish this, whether through a custom JS approach, a creative survey flow workaround, or something else entirely? Any guidance is appreciated!

1 reply

TomG
Level 8 ●●●●●●●●
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  • Level 8 ●●●●●●●●
  • April 17, 2026

@kgillis,

As described in the thread you reference, you can use select2 to convert a multi-select multiple choice select box into a searchable multi-select.

This thread should help.

The code in the above mentioned threads does NOT apply to ‘New Experience’.