As the researcher, you know what’s in it for you when sending out a survey: you will receive valuable insights 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, 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
(University of Texas, 2011)
Response rates can be improved by offering respondents an incentive for participating in the research, such as a chance to win a grand prize, a discount or special offer for every respondent, or even the knowledge that they are improving a product or service that they care about.
Some researchers feel that monetary incentives are not always a good thing. Some respondents may feel that they need to give ‘good’ or ‘correct’ answers that 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 of offering one if responses are limited.
Designing the survey to assure respondents of the minimal time commitment and their privacy can also help to increase responses.
