Versta Research Blog

Versta Research Blog

About Versta

Versta Research is a marketing research and public opinion polling firm that helps you answer critical questions with customized research and analytical expertise.

Explore Versta

Versta Research Blog

Explore industry trends, research methods, and tips for your own research projects in the Versta Research Blog. All opinions are our own, and some may change over time.

First time reader? Check out the Best of the Blog for the most popular posts from almost 10 years of blogging. We’re glad you’re here.

Surveys on Cell Phones Are Just as Good

Surveys on Cell Phones Are Just as Good

If you worry that cell phones make it harder to get high quality, thoughtful, and richly detailed data with surveys, stop worrying. New research from a trio of survey measurement scientists (one at the Census Bureau and two at University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center) shows there are no differences in data quality and measurement…

Read the rest of this entry
Don't Fall for the Neutrality Trap

Don’t Fall for the Neutrality Trap

I once heard from an overzealous boss with a Ph.D. in political science that measurement scales should always have an odd number of scale points – the reason being that measurement scales should always have a neutral middle. We sometimes hear this from clients reviewing survey drafts as well: “Shouldn’t every question have a neither,…

Read the rest of this entry
How Random Correlations Ruined a Gender Story

How Random Correlations Ruined a Gender Story

The problem with most business approaches to “analytics” is that they rely on automated, unthinking algorithms. The algorithms scan boatloads of data and generate correlations that are surprising and, therefore, presumably deeply insightful. But in most cases the correlations are not insightful. They are random coincidences, which unfortunately does not stop humans from sharing with…

Read the rest of this entry
Two-Point Scales Have the Highest Reliability

Two-Point Scales Have the Highest Reliability

If you want the most valid and reliable measures you can get, forget about NPS and other 11-point scales that so many companies use as their primary measure of customer satisfaction these days. It turns out that 2-point scales (yes vs. no, satisfied vs. dissatisfied, etc.) are far more reliable measures for gauging consumer attitudes.…

Read the rest of this entry
Do Not Send Blind Survey Invitations

Do Not Send Blind Survey Invitations

When college students get all worked up about inappropriate uses of email for campus electioneering, it is worth paying attention. Why? Because they are the next generation of consumers (and business decision makers) who will get our requests to participate in surveys. If we do it wrong, they will hit back, and they will be…

Read the rest of this entry