Want to know how to increase survey response rates?  Surveys are a powerful tool, helping businesses better understand market trends, customer behavior, employee satisfaction, and more.  

Surveys help leaders make data-driven decisions—refining marketing strategies, improving product offerings, and enhancing customer or employee experiences.

But what if your survey response rates are low?

Low response rates can affect your data quality. Research suggests that if your survey only gets a 30% response rate, up to 70% of the sample might be biased, undermining the reliability and validity of your findings. This can lead to less-informed decisions and plans that may yield limited results.

In this article, you will learn ways to create better, more effective surveys to obtain the best results and boost survey response rates.

‍Understanding survey response rates

A survey response rate refers to how many people complete a survey compared to the total number of people who were invited to take it.

To find the response rate, divide the number of completed surveys by the total number of surveys sent out. Then, multiply by 100.

For example: if you send out 1,000 surveys and receive 200 responses, your response rate is 20%.

Typical response rates vary by industry and audience. A 2024 report by BHN, Tango’s parent company, and Qualtrics shows that Millennials and Gen Z take fewer surveys compared to Gen X and Boomers. Setting guidelines based on factors like audience demographics or business focus may help you create clearer and more achievable goals for your surveys.

Factors affecting survey response rates

Many factors can influence whether people participate in a survey. These include how the survey is set up, when it happens, and how it is sent out. Each plays a role in whether participants decide to engage with it or not.

Getting to know all these factors will help you make smart choices:  

• Survey length: Long surveys can make people lose focus or feel less interested.

• Question complexity: Complex, confusing questions can lead to frustration and cause drop-offs.

• Timing of distribution: Distributing surveys at the wrong time can reduce response rates.

• Discretion and privacy: If people feel their responses won’t be kept private, they may choose not to participate.

• Communication: Unclear or unengaging invitations may be ignored.  

• Follow-up reminders: Without reminders, participants may forget or procrastinate.

• Survey platform: Using the wrong platform for your audience can limit reach or discourage participation.

You can change each one of these factors to better fit your audience and goals. Knowing how they affect your survey results can help improve your strategy and get more people to participate.

Best practices to improve survey response rates

Boosting survey response rates takes a comprehensive approach. By implementing proven tactics, you can significantly improve engagement and participation, ultimately leading to more valuable insights and data collection.

• Make sure your survey is relevant: Take time to adjust your questions to match the interests and expertise of your target audience.

• Keep it short: Long surveys can tire respondents. This can lead to more dropouts and incomplete data.

• Design is important: A nice, simple design can attract more people to join. Make sure your survey is responsive on all devices, like smartphones, tablets, and desktops, to get more responses.

• Personalize survey invitations: Use names and relevant details to create a sense of recognition, ensuring that participants feel valued throughout the experience.

• Timing is important when sending surveys: Make sure to carefully choose the days and times when your audience is most likely to respond.  

• Ensure clarity from the start: A good introduction explains why the survey is important and what specific objectives it aims to achieve.

• Offer appropriate rewards and incentives: These rewards can include gift cards and prepaid cards.

• Follow up with reminders but be cautious: Too many reminders can annoy potential respondents and decrease engagement.

• Be clear about how responses will be used: This transparency builds trust among participants and encourages them to actively engage in the process.

• Employ feedback loops: Let participants see how their choices influence decisions or outcomes, fostering a deeper understanding and engagement.

• Regularly check survey strategies to make sure they work well: Take time to see which parts of the survey do well and which need improvement. This ongoing review will give useful insights that can greatly improve the quality and effectiveness of future surveys.

Personalization and engagement

Creating surveys that feel personal significantly boosts their attractiveness and engagement levels. People are more likely to reply when they feel acknowledged. Studies show that including personal details—like name or context—can increase response rates by around 8.6 percentage points, as people feel more acknowledged.

Tailor content to the audience. Make sure your questions and examples match their interests or experiences.

Personalization techniques:

• Use the recipient’s first name in the greeting

• Reference recent interactions or feedback

• Tailor survey content based on previous data

People are more likely to engage when they see something that is relevant to them. Keep people interested with lively content and a design that is accessible and works well on all devices.

Survey design strategies

An effective survey design captures the attention of participants and significantly boosts the overall response rate.  A good design is both visual and functional.

Start with a clean, intuitive layout. Avoid excessive clutter that can confuse participants.

Optimize for mobile devices. As more people access surveys via smartphones, this is crucial for ensuring convenience and enhancing the overall user experience.

Survey design tips:

• Use clear, concise language in questions.

• Implement logical flow and navigation.

• Limit the number of questions to avoid fatigue.

Visuals like progress bars make surveys easier to finish by showing participants how much is left. Keep aesthetics professional yet inviting.

Distribution and timing strategies

The moment you send your survey effects how many people reply. The best time to act can vary based on your target audience and the goals you aim to achieve. But testing can help pinpoint your audience’s most active windows. Also, using a multichannel approach (email, SMS, social) improves your reach and impact.

Analyze when your target demographic is most active to optimize survey response rates. For professionals, weekdays might work best, while evenings may suit general consumers.

According to SurveyMonkey's 2024 State of Surveys report, response rates are highest when surveys are sent on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with Wednesday seeing the peak at 17.7% and Thursday at 17.9%.

Timing and distribution tips:

• Conduct tests to find the best sending times.

• Use diverse channels to enhance reach.

• Avoid major holidays or peak busy hours.

Lastly, align survey timing with current events. This makes sure the content is useful and important, which makes people more likely to join in.

The power of survey incentives and rewards

Research shows that incentives can significantly increase survey engagement. A systematic review of 46 trials found that monetary incentives boost response rates substantially—cash being the most effective. One study even found that offering a $10 incentive increased survey responses by 18%

By offering rewards or benefits, you motivate individuals to take the time to complete your survey.

‍Check out these 8 survey incentive ideas to boost participation and improve results.

Offer rewards that are appealing to your demographic. Consider both monetary and non-monetary incentives.

Evaluate the costs in relation to the benefits. A well-considered reward can make the effort invested worth it, as it can provide valuable insights and information.  

Read our free ROI guide to see how Tango can help you increase returns on your incentive program.

Types of incentives

• Gift cards or discounts: Gift cards are a highly versatile and appreciated incentive. Digital gift cards will allow your survey respondents choose what they truly want.

• Prepaid cards or cash: Prepaid cards are perfect for larger incentives or high-stakes surveys where participation is harder to secure.  

• Entry into prize drawings: Incentivize survey participation by offering a chance to win a high-value prize, like a $100 prepaid card. With Disbursement Link, you can easily send out large one-time rewards to drawing winners.

• Access to exclusive content or results: The incentive doesn’t have to be necessarily monetary. Offering exclusive access to research results, premium features, or exclusive content can be just as valuable.

Clearly communicate the incentive up front. Being open about rewards helps participants feel involved and appreciated.

Legal considerations are also important. Make sure the incentives you use are compliant with regulations and secure survey participants’ data.  

Automating the survey process

Making your survey process smoother—from start to finish—can significantly improve response rates. When rewards and follow-ups are automated, participants are more likely to take action. This might include things like automatically sending a reward upon survey completion, triggering reminder emails via integrations, or simplifying how recipients claim incentives.

Automation saves time for your team and creates a more seamless experience for participants. No waiting, no confusion—just a straightforward path from survey to reward.

Tools like the Tango portal or Tango API make this easy by centralizing and streamlining the reward delivery process. Whether you're sending individual gift cards or large batches, you can ensure rewards are delivered fast, efficiently, and with minimal manual effort.

Automation tools like Qualtrics + Tango integration takes this to the next level. Once you connect Tango as a task in your Qualtrics workflow, rewards can be triggered immediately after survey completion—no SDKs or spreadsheets needed.

Utilizing automated reminders is crucial. These can be set up to remind people about upcoming deadlines without being annoying.

This innovative approach streamlines the entire survey process, making it more user-friendly and efficient. Surveyors and participants save time and effort. This leads to a better and more engaging survey experience.

Automation benefits:

• Efficient survey distribution

• Timely follow-up reminders

• Reduced human error in data collection

Survey analysis is another area where automation shines. Automated tools can gather and sort data quickly, to show insights right away.

By using artificial intelligence, automation can make things like email content or follow-up messages more personal. This helps people feel noticed and important.

Your partner for higher survey response rates

The greater the number of individuals you get to answer your surveys, the more useful information you gain. This wealth of data can significantly enhance your understanding of the subject matter at hand.

Among the numerous strategies you can implement that can help boost survey participation, choosing the right partner is essential.  

Ready to explore how Tango can help you increase survey response rates? Request a demo.  

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