Versta Research Blog

Versta Research Blog

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

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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.

Versta Research Post

Trouble for Phone Surveys: Nobody Talks

In the old days (decades ago), phone surveys had limited utility because many people had no phone service in their homes.  When that changed, phone surveys became ubiquitous because they allowed researchers better control over the process.  Data quality improved.  Now increasing numbers of people have moved to cell phones only, which has been a…

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Versta Research Post

Of Lust and Tracking Studies

Today, an industry colleague (another owner of a market research firm) said to me, “We all lust after those big tracking studies.”  For most market research firms, tracking studies are attractive because they involve big samples, multiple ongoing deliverables, and multi-year commitments, all of which means predictable, ongoing (and usually substantial) revenue. At Versta Research,…

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Versta Research Post

More Research on Phone vs. Online Surveys

Another article was just published in the Spring 2010 issue of Public Opinion Quarterly exploring data quality differences between online surveys and phone surveys. The findings were based on a lab experiment in which subjects completed survey questions either on a computer or over an intercom system with an interviewer. Doing the study in a…

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Versta Research Post

How Good Are Online Survey Panels?

Ten years ago, surveys through online panels were rare.  Mostly we conducted telephone surveys.  Today it is the other way around.  With online survey panels being a $2 billion industry in the U.S., there is now a wealth of comparative data to measure and assess the implications of using online surveys as a substitute for…

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Versta Research Post

The Art of Asking Questions

This quarter’s newsletter from Versta Research focuses on the art of asking questions.  We suggest that the importance of business questions far exceeds the importance of survey questions or focus group questions.  You can’t do the latter without the former, at least not very well, and research that is not specifically designed to answer clearly…

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Versta Research Post

Keep Your Surveys Honest

One problem with new survey technologies that make it easy (and inexpensive) to design and field surveys is that we now have an explosion of poorly done and ill-intentioned surveys.  Have you ever suspected that a survey isn’t quite legit? Keeping your survey efforts honest is critical.  Sincere efforts to document issues through rigorous surveys…

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