Depending on the nature of the survey, response rates of three to five percent can be considered a success. And determining the “ideal” threshold of participants can be a surprisingly complicated process. But it’s probably safe to say that you aren’t going to find many survey authors who’d prefer fewer responses to more responses. And if you’re conducting a survey with a small pool of potential respondents to begin with, it’s definitely the case. Here are a few ideas for moving the odds in your favor:
Short and simple: The more you ask of people in terms of attention and effort, the more you are going to lose. Try to keep surveys focused on exactly what you want to know and, as a rule of thumb, limit it to fewer than ten questions.
Timing: Send your invitation and reminders for a time the audience is more likely to be paying attention. Eight a.m. probably isn’t a great time to reach for student, and a few minutes before five p.m. probably isn’t good for office staff.
Make it mobile: Preview your survey on several devices to ensure that it’s as easy to take on a cell phone as it is on a desktop.
Point of contact: The conventional wisdom is that students today are far less likely to reply to a survey conducted solely by e-mail, and our experience bears this out. Other methods for distributing the survey, like Blackboard, can reach a bigger audience.