User's Manual

Smart Survey Design
Page 20
III: SURVEY RESPONSE RATES & PROS VS. CONS OF
ONLINE SURVEYS
A. Survey Response Rates
(Taken from:
http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/assessment/iar/teaching/gather/method/survey-
Response.php?task=research)
1. Calculating the Response Rate:
The percentage of people who respond to your survey is considered the “response
rate.” A high survey response rate helps to ensure that the survey results are
representative of the survey population. You can calculate the response rate for your
survey using the following equation:


 
Let‟s say you contacted 100 people and 40 responded.
You would then have 40 / 100 = .4.
Multiply .4 by 100 to get a 40% response rate for your survey.
2. Determining an Acceptable Response Rate:
To determine acceptable response rates based on the way you are administering
your survey you must consider several factors: (Taken from
http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/assessment/iar/teaching/gather/method/survey-
Response.php?task=research)
A. The Purpose of the Research – When the objective is to measure effects, then
the response rates are more important. If the survey‟s objective is just to gain
insight, then response rates may be less important.
B. Statistical Analysis – You will need to understand the statistical techniques
associated with the calculations you intend to use. If you are using SPSS or any
other kind of statistical program to do in-depth data analysis; you will need to be
familiar with those kinds of procedures. In addition, according to Steve Creech,
consider taking your study beyond simple descriptive statistics and use inferential