Response rate for online surveys: definition, calculation, influencing factors

What does return rate or response rate mean for online surveys?

The response rate, also known as the response rate, in the context of online surveys indicates how often an online survey was completely completed and the data was then actually sent. Partially completed online surveys that were temporarily saved but not completely sent are not counted.

How is the response rate for online surveys determined?

The response rate for online surveys is calculated as follows: the number of people who took and completed a survey divided by the sample to which the survey was sent. This number is usually presented in a percentage format. The number of responses is divided by the number of potential survey participants and then multiplied by 100.

The calculation of the response rate for online surveys is not quite as precise if there is no clearly defined number of possible survey participants in advance. Here, however, you could use the number of page views of the online survey URL as a benchmark to determine the response rate.

Examples for determining the
Response rate for online surveys

Example A: You send 6.000 emails with a link to an online survey and receive 2600 complete data sets in return. Calculation:

2600
———- x 100 = 43,33%
6000

Example B: You post the URL for an online survey on social networks. The survey was viewed 21.000 times and you will receive 900 records back. The calculation:

900
———- x 100 = 4,28%
21000

Why is the response rate important?
to be determined in online surveys?

There are good reasons to measure the response rate in online surveys because it can provide important answers to the following questions:

• Is my online survey designed to be appealing?
• Is the topic of the online survey interesting?
• Have I selected the right target group?
• Did I choose the right address when inviting me to participate?

If the response rate is rather low, you should try to find out why. The web-based survey software QuestionPro will of course help you by creating statistics at which point survey participants abandoned the online survey. This gives you valuable insight into what you can improve on your online survey.

With QuestionPro you receive a response rate automatically calculated by the system. So you don't have to calculate these manually. If you send your online survey by email, you will also receive a response rate based on the number of emails sent.

Which influencing factors play a major role in the response rate?

Several influencing parameters such as the target group, the research objective, the incentives offered, and the degree of personal approach have an impact on the response rate to an online survey.

• Before conducting the survey, the objective of the survey must be clearly defined, which is why the research design is very important. The questions must be easy to understand and very simple to answer. In addition, the duration of the survey has a major influence on the response rate. If the survey is too long, survey participants often lose interest.
• The correct selection of survey participants is also very important. It hardly makes sense to ask DINKs (Double Income No Kids) about the quality of baby diapers.
• The way the online survey is distributed also has a significant influence. If you send your online survey personalized via email to contacts you know, the response rate will be much higher than if you simply post your online survey on any website or blog.
• If you create incentives to complete an online survey, the likelihood of a high response rate is very high. This could be a voucher for an online retailer or access to the survey results.

1:1 live online demo:
Determine the response rate or return rate using the QuestionPro survey software

Would you like to find out more about QuestionPro and how you can measure response rates for online surveys? We would be happy to show you the features and question types of the QuestionPro survey software in a personal 1:1 live online demo. Arrange an individual appointment now.

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KEYWORDS OF THIS BLOG POST

Data return | surveys | Response rate | Response rate