how to get responses:
incentives and assurances
incentives and assurances
As the researcher, you know what’s in it for you in sending out a survey: you will receive valuable data that will aid in making business decisions. But what is in it for the respondents?
According to Survey Monkey, the ways in which the surveys are administered play a role in response rates for surveys and these can be relative:
Mail: 50% adequate, 60-70% good to very good
Phone: 80% good
Email: 40% average, 50-60% good to very good
Online: 30% average
Classroom pager: 50+% good
Face to Face: 80-85% good
Mail: 50% adequate, 60-70% good to very good
Phone: 80% good
Email: 40% average, 50-60% good to very good
Online: 30% average
Classroom pager: 50+% good
Face to Face: 80-85% good
Response rates can be improved by offering respondents an incentive for completing the survey, such as a chance at winning a grand prize, a lower priced incentive for every respondent, or even the knowledge that they are improving a product or service that they care about.
There is a train of thought that paying incentives is not always a good thing. Amongst less affluent or educated respondents it may predispose them to feel that they need to give so-called “good” or “correct” answers which may bias your results. Alternatively you may attract respondents who are in it just for the reward. One approach could be to run the survey with no incentive with the option to offer one if responses are limited.
Designing the survey so as to assure respondents of the time commitment, and privacy implications, of completing the survey can also help to increase responses.
There is a train of thought that paying incentives is not always a good thing. Amongst less affluent or educated respondents it may predispose them to feel that they need to give so-called “good” or “correct” answers which may bias your results. Alternatively you may attract respondents who are in it just for the reward. One approach could be to run the survey with no incentive with the option to offer one if responses are limited.
Designing the survey so as to assure respondents of the time commitment, and privacy implications, of completing the survey can also help to increase responses.
