Now that survey tools are easy to build and cheap to buy, the companies that sell these tools try to differentiate their offerings with various types of design enhancements. Sometimes they succeed by offering truly elegant respondent experiences with simple, intuitive, easy-to-use, and adaptable formats. Sometimes, though, it feels like all the razzle dazzle starts…
Some respondents answer survey questions with the same answer over and over again. They agree to everything, or they give identical numeric ratings to all items. It’s called “straight-lining,” and we often consider this a sign of poor data quality. I was intrigued by an approach to mitigating the problem I learned last week, shared…
Maybe you got one of these printed notes from a cashier at Walmart, like I did: $1000 You can win a $1000 Gift Card and we can improve your shopping experience! Please follow the instructions on your receipt. “9” is NOT fine… We’re focused on an excellent experience. Please give us a “10” when we’ve…
Difficult or lengthy surveys require hefty incentives, which unfortunately makes it tempting for some respondents to lie. We are facing this predicament in a survey right now. The survey requires two people from the same household who share household finances to complete parallel surveys. We are recruiting from an online research panel. Person 1 gets…
Ever wonder what all those big data companies, who make tons of money selling information about you, actually know? With newly heightened concerns about data privacy, some companies will finally give you a peek. And it’s not too impressive. Maybe it’s good enough for mass marketing, but for those of us in research who sometimes…
Every once in a while we opt for slider scales on surveys we have designed – usually when we want a numeric rating from 0 to 10. It seems easier for respondents than shifting over to the number pad, and it offers a more fun, interactive experience than simply clicking radio buttons. Sliders also allow…
Even if you don’t care about political polling, or the fact that Gallup consistently overestimates support for Republican candidates, it is worth paying attention to how Gallup is trying to fix its problems with surveys and polling. They are not happy with how poorly their polls have fared (who would be?), and they have teams…
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…