Fieldnote 04 · In this quiz sample · Head, heart & hunches
“Based on research and facts” led big-decision answers (28.3%)
“Follow the heart” was least selected. The chart below shows all four answers.
The quiz offers four ways to approach a big decision, then asks a separate question about group projects. One question shows the overall split; the paired comparison shows how choices differ by setting.
These are voluntary quiz completions, not a representative population survey. We count answer choices, not the animals people receive.
Meet the numbers
The big-decision question
Four answers. Plenty of company in each.
Choose one answer. That was the task for 11,901 eligible completions that saw this question.
Based on research and facts
28.3%3,370 completionsPros/cons lists
25.1%2,986 completionsGut feeling
25.8%3,074 completionsFollow the heart
20.8%2,471 completionsExact question: "Big decisions:" · Each bar runs from 0 to 100%. Shares are rounded to one decimal place.
Big decisions and group projects call for different answers.
The answers were “Based on research and facts” (28.3%), “Pros/cons lists” (25.1%), “Gut feeling” (25.8%), “Follow the heart” (20.8%). Each share uses completions that answered this question.
The choices name particular approaches, not fixed reasoning types. Each person selected one answer, and we did not score decision accuracy.
The paired comparison looks at a different setting, group projects. It does not track anyone switching methods or measure whether a decision worked out.
Look a little closer
A big decision. A group project. Different settings.
Each bar is the share of that group choosing an answer. Switch groups to see the full answer mix, including answers outside the headline.
48.0% of completions that prefer research or weighing pros and cons also sense the mood or follow their instincts in group projects. 2,541 of 5,296 completions in this group answered this way.
In group projects, you:
Bars share a 0–100% scale. Dark bars are the answers combined in the finding. Percentages may not add to exactly 100% after rounding.
The comparison matters.
48.0%Prefer research or weighing pros and cons
65.4%Prefer gut feelings or following the heart
Share of each group that sense the mood or follow their instincts in group projects. The group-project question asks about another situation. The percentages compare different quiz completions; they do not track anyone changing their approach.
Featured group: 2,541 / 5,296. Comparison group: 2,979 / 4,552. Both come from the same 9,848 completions that answered this pair.
What to take from this.
The four choices describe preferred starting points, not fixed personality types or reasoning skill. The answer may differ when the situation changes.
A question to take into your next conversationWhich decisions send you looking for evidence, and which ones begin with a feeling you want to investigate?
Our animals are illustrations of the idea. These results compare answer choices across the full eligible sample, not people assigned those animals.
Behind this finding
Two questions. One shared group.
Big decisions:
- Based on research and facts
- Pros/cons lists
In group projects, you:
- Sense the mood and adapt
- Follow your instincts
We start with 14,260 eligible completions out of 14,369 finished quizzes. Each has 20 distinct, recognized answers. For this comparison, 9,848 answered both questions. We select the first answer group, then count how many also chose the second set.
This is a voluntary online quiz. A completion is not a verified unique person. The findings describe this sample and stated preferences, not the general population or cause and effect. Read the full method.
For the curious. And the spreadsheet curious.
Download the aggregate data.
Check a finding, draw your own chart, or follow a different question. These aggregate CSVs cover all 24 questions and all 276 question pairs.
14,260 eligible completions · Data through 15 October 2026 · No individual response records or personal details.
Writing about this?
You can reuse our charts and aggregate data. Please credit Animal Personality Quiz, link to this story, and include the date and denominator. Our findings are exploratory observations from a voluntary quiz.
A ready-to-use source note
Source: Animal Personality Quiz, "How quiz takers approach big decisions.". Data through 15 October 2026. 11,901 eligible completions answered the big-decision question, choosing one of four options. 9,848 eligible completions answered both questions in the paired analysis. Voluntary, self-selected quiz completions, not a representative population survey. https://animalpersonalityquiz.com/research/how-we-decide
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