What is Dropout Rate in Surveys? | Market Research Company

A dropout rate in surveys is the percentage of respondents who do not complete a survey due to the length, lack of interest, technical difficulties, or poor design. The dropout rate does not include respondents who disqualify or because the quota(s) has been reached.

The dropout rate specifically references those respondents who leave a survey. This could be 1%, 5%, 10% or 20%.

Learn more about dropout rates from our Syracuse online survey company in the blog post below!

Dropout rates can vary from telephone surveys, to mail surveys, to online surveys. Each methodology has its own unique pros and cons. At Drive Research, an online survey company in Syracuse, we offer the following 4 tips to minimize dropouts in your survey:

  • Test your survey (and then test it again). Ensure you are 100% confident that it is programmed correctly with the appropriate logic, skip patters, and directions for the respondent. Also test it for content to catch misspelling or typos. If the survey respondent feels as though you didn't put the time in to write a error-free survey, they will not take the time to respond. Drive Research follows an internal checklist of items while testing to ensure each and every survey we manage is fool-proof. We also recommend a test drive soft launch on all of our studies.

  • Make it engaging. Switch up your rating scales, use sliders, use pictures, and have respondents participate in a feedback experience rather than the same old boring survey. Find creative ways to ask questions. At Drive Research we find the right blend of fun and factual in each and every survey script we design providing the optimal level of engagement to limit dropouts.

  • Shorten the length. Typically, Drive Research recommends online surveys do not last beyond 7 to 10 minutes (max) and sometimes even that is too long for some audiences. Focus your questions and content on the objectives that are critical to your research. Would you rather have 141 completes for a 20 question survey or 412 completes for a 8 question survey? Most would opt for 412 completes for their 8 most critical questions.

  • Make it relevant. Use the introduction and conclusion of the script to tell the respondent why their responses matter and how the data will impact them. At Drive Research we like to create a one-page infographic of results to share with respondents to the survey. This helps communicate the action and improvements taken from the data.

Drive Research is an online survey company located in Syracuse, NY. We create custom online surveys for clients managing projects from kickoff through completion. Drive separates itself from the competition by working with you as a consultant on the data and tying the insights to actionable strategies for your business. Contact Drive Research at 315-303-2040 or email the owner at [email protected].

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