Generic vs. Non-Generic Survey Invitations
Susan Frede, VP Research
November, 2008
Introduction
The survey invitation is important because it is the first contact with a prospective respondent. It can cause respondents to decide not to respond as well as impact how they respond. There has been much discussion around the amount of detail that should be given in the invitation. Some suggest that limiting the information reduces self-selection bias and reduces the ability of respondents to misrepresent themselves intentionally or to provide inaccurate information in order to qualify for surveys. Others suggest that including more information increases the likelihood that respondents will participate.
Background
Lightspeed Research tested five concepts using two different survey invitations. The generic invitation stated simply that a new survey was available without telling the respondent the subject of the survey. The non-generic invitation provided the subject. Both sets of invitations gave an estimate of time as well as the number of reward points the respondent would earn. Both mentioned entry into a sweepstakes and gave directions on how to take the survey.
All concepts were tested monadically using identical surveys for the generic and non-generic versions. The demographic universes were selected as appropriate for the product target market. Key concept measures included Purchase Intent, Uniqueness, Value, Liking, Believability, Quantity, and Frequency. Respondents also were asked a number of category habit and brand usage questions.
Key Measures
There are no statistically significant differences between generic and non-generic invitations for key concept measures (see Table 1 on next page). This suggests the type of invitation does not have the potential to change business decisions.
Response and Completion Rates
There are no statistically significant differences in response or completion rates between the generic and non-generic invitations.
Other Measures
Several other items have been examined to understand if the type of invitation has an impact. These include:
- Demographics – In this research, the return samples line up well between the generic and non-generic groups on demographics. There are a few statistical differences, but there are no consistent patterns.
- Category and Brand Usage – For several concepts the non-generic invitation version has slightly different category and brand usage. This includes higher frequency of category usage, higher brand usage for several brands, and a slightly higher number of brands used. Perhaps telling respondents the subject of the survey causes them to answer differently in order to qualify for the survey or the possible placement of a product.
- Suspicious Respondent Behavior – Respondents in the non-generic groups are no more likely than those in the generic groups to exhibit suspicious behavior. This includes both inattentive and fraudulent behavior.
Conclusions
Including the subject of the survey in the invitation does not significantly improve response rates. Given there are no differences in key measures between the generic and non-generic survey invitations, Lightspeed Research recommends sending respondents generic survey invitations. Generic survey invitations lessen the chance that category and brand usage questions are impacted by suspicious behavior as well as reducing the potential impact of self-selection bias, which may be higher for certain categories.
About Lightspeed Research
Lightspeed Research (www.lightspeedresearch.com) is the market researcher’s choice for digitally accessing and deriving insight from consumer opinions and behaviors whenever, wherever and in whatever segments needed. The industry’s most thorough panelist pre-screening process and large global pool delivers business-ready results quickly and cost-effectively. From proprietary online access panels to specialty panels, custom panels and innovative mobile surveys, Lightspeed Research offers the industry’s highest-quality and most complete combination of qualitative and quantitative online research. This is backed by an expert client operations team that provides a range of data collection services, from sample management and survey design to programming and reporting. Part of Kantar, a division of WPP, Lightspeed Research serves clients and cultivates online panelists across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Susan Frede is the VP of Research at Lightspeed Research. She has worked in the research field for 23 years, has published numerous research-on-research papers and is a well-respected speaker at key industry events. Some of the topics she has recently explored include questionnaire length, best practices for online research, suspicious and professional respondents and data stability.
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