Recommendations for Minimizing Non-response
Reducing the level of non-response can be achieved in ten simple steps:
1. Recruitment from different sources. Do not send invitations only via e-mail – post the survey in various online communities (forums, social networks, etc.).
2. Personalize e-invitations. Messages with a personal address increase the response rate by at least 5%, and sometimes even more. Thus send invitations such as "Dear Mr Smith” instead of “Dear Sir or Madam”.
3. Email invitations should be short and simple. Along with the survey URL, do not forget to emphasize:
- who you are;
- what the survey means for each individual;
- the length of the survey (especially if the survey is short, but do not mislead the respondents if it is longer, as respondents prefer to fill out longer surveys if they know what to expect);
- the anonymity of the survey.
4. The first page of the survey should be simple and attractive and should motivate the respondents. Do not place instructions onto the first page, as studies have shown that respondents do not look favourably upon long instructions on the first page.
5. However – highlight how you will use the survey answers. This should be written on the first page. People are more likely to provide information on the Internet if they are familiar with its use. Additionally, emphasize the anonymity and confidentiality of information.
6. Do not forget to send email reminders. Send a new invitation to those who have not responded after a certain period of time. You can do this by sending a thank you note to those who have already responded and encourage those who have not to do so. However, it is better not to send more than two reminders and to remove the e-mail addresses of those who do not wish to be contacted.
7. Consider offering incentives – gifts, awards, etc. Studies show that large incentives are not necessary to increase the response rate. Even small tokens or gifts can help increase the level of response.
8. Some simply want to share their opinion. Many people will only respond to the survey because they want to share their opinion, not because of the incentives. Therefore consider optional prizes – e.g. perform a draw.
9. Use graphics and other Internet options strategically. Generally, the survey does not need graphics; this can sometimes be distracting or even affect the responses. However, in some cases, graphics may increase the response rate (e.g. link or photo of the prize).
10. Publicly announce the results of the survey. The respondents are interested in the results of the survey and its publication will contribute to their willingness to fill out the survey.
- How Do I Customize the Format of the Survey to Be in Line With Our Organization?
- How Can I Use Missing Values in Conditions?
- When Is It Advisable to Use the Question Comments Function?
- Where Does Free Help End?
- How Do I Change the Font Size in Questions and Answers?
- How to Set That a Chosen Website Is Opened to a Respondent After Completing Survey?
- How Do I Change or Update My Browser?
- Can I Modify the Introductory GDPR Question Text?
- How Do I Clear My Browser’s Cookies?
- How Can the Respondents Continue With the Survey at a Later Date?
- Why Is It Not Advisable to Copy Text?
- How Do I Change the Question Type?
- For How Long Is the Survey Saved and for How Long Is It Active?
- How Do I Prevent the Same Respondent From Participating in the Survey Multiple Times?
- What Is the Limitation on the Number of Questions and Respondents?
- Is It Possible to Create Several Different Versions of a Questionnaire, With Each Version Randomly Assigned to a Respondent?
- Are Mobile Surveys Supported by 1KA?
- How Do I Quote / Cite the Use of 1KA in My Work?
- Can I Change the Name of the Variable With Predefined Demographic Variables?
- Why Is a New Question Always Placed at the Bottom of the Questionnaire and Why Do I Have to Move It up Manually?
- Can I Set a Quota for a Particular Question or Questionnaire (Restrictions on the Number of Respondents)?
- Why Is the CAPTCHA Image Not Displayed?
- How Is the Tool Tested?
- How Can I Set the Cell Alignment in the Table?
- How to Set Default Values for Respondents?
- Is It Possible to Make a Copy of an Old Survey So That New Respondents Can Answer It?
- Why Is It Necessary to Enable Javascript?
- Can I Add a New Question After the Survey Is Already Active?
- Can Respondents Save or Print Their Answers?
- What Kind of Customer Support Does 1KA Offer?
- How Do I Set That Respondents Skip Certain Questions That Are Inappropriate for Them (Conditions)?
- Can I Change My Existing Email Address to Login to 1KA?
- How Long Should My Survey Be?
- Why Is the Question Numbering Not in Consecutive Order?
- The Questionnaire Does Not Close (When Clicking the END Button) After Survey Completion
- Can I Create a Table in Which a Respondent Can Choose the Most and the Least Important Answer (Max-Diff Table)?
- Can Standard Words Be Altered?
- Can I Alter the Design of an Individual Survey?
- How Do I Enable Spell Checking?
- How Can I Add Another Survey Administrator?
- How to Properly Methodologically Set the Answers ‘Don’t Know’, ‘Invalid’, ‘None of the Above’ and ‘Refused’?
- Can I Set the Respondent to Edit His Answers?
- When Exporting the Questionnaire in MS Word the Structure of the Questionnaire Changes
- Which Design Is the Most Suitable for Mobile Devices and Tablets?
- Who Can Respond to My Survey?
- How Do I Separate Different Sections of the Questionnaire With a Title or Introductory Question
- Can I Display Answers in Form of a Selection List?
- Where Can I Change the Language of the Survey and 1KA Application?
- How Do I Detect Logical and Technical Errors in the Questionnaire?
- Can I Make Changes to a Survey After It Has Been Activated and Published?
- How Can I Personalize My Survey With a Custom Logo?
- Why Are the Repondent’s Answers Lost in Case of ‘Step by Step Mode’ With Question Type ‘Table’ if Respondent Moves to the Previous Page?
- How Do I Create a One-Click Log-in Confirmation in 1KA?
- What About Underage Respondents?
- My Survey Disappeared
- Electronic Signature
- Key Features That an Advanced User Should Know
- System Variables in Conditions
- Glossary
- Usage of ‘Location’ Question Type
- Standard Demographics
- Recommendations for Online Surveys on a Mobile Phone
- Settings for Respondent Access: Cookies and Passwords
- Loop
- Image Hotspot Question Type
- Set Up of Drag and Drop Question Type
- Accessibility of Surveys for People With Special Needs
- Export (Survey Archive)
- Hiding Answers in Already Active Survey
- Use of the Editor When Editing Questions
- Drill-Down: Sequential Filtering of Questions
- Edit Response’s Values
- Semantic Differential
- 'Heatmap' Question
- Survey Settings
- Disabling the Question for Respondents
- Measurement and Time Limitations for Responses
- Using Library When Creating a Survey
- Default Answer Labels
- Your First Survey
- Structuring Questions Into Blocks
- The Use of Conditions
- Notifications
- Advanced Questionnaire Editing Settings
- Placing Answers on Stripe
- Image Type of Question Layout
- Organizing Surveys in Folders
- Survey Duration Based on Date or the Number of Responses
- How to Repeat the Title Bar in a Table
- Visual Analogue Scale
- Text (Type of Question)
- Editing Options in the Question Taskbar
- Survey Preview
- The Double Grid Table
- Recommendations for Minimizing Non-response
- Additional Settings for the Introduction and Conclusion
- Inserting Images Into Your Questionnaire
- Verification of User’s Attention With the Use of a “Trap” Question
- Adding Editorial Access on 1ka.arnes.si
- Creating Sub-samples: Half of the Respondents Gets One Question, While the Other Half a Different Question
- Tabs in the Questionnaire
- Data Display (Settings)
- Creating Respondent Groups
- Different Ways to Display a Question for the Date
- Combined Table
- Advanced Adding of Images as an Answer
- Design
- Labelling a Question as Mandatory
- GDPR Survey Settings
- Adding a New Language for the Standard Words
- E-mail (Type of Question)
- 1KA Settings for Email Notifications for Completed Surveys and Insight Into the Respondent’s Answers
- Including a Video or Flash Player in Your Survey
- Mobile Survey Adjustments
- Satisficing in the Survey
- Option to Hide Radio and Checkbox Buttons Next to Categories
- Step by Step Mode With Table Question Type
- Granting Access to Helpdesk
- 'Take a Picture' Question Type
- Import Text - Copying Text to 1KA
- Settings for Exporting PDF/RTF Files With Responses
- Changing the Size of Radio and Checkbox Buttons
- Classifying or Ranking
- Transferring Values From the Answer of One Question Into the Text of Another Question (Data Piping)
- Registration Form
- 1KA Registration and Login
- Setting up a Static First Page (Introduction)
- Recommendations for Questionnaire Creation
- Using the IP Address and Cookies to Control Duplicate Entries
- Random Display of Survey Questions (Randomization)
- Voting
- Insert Numerical Answers With Slider
- Display the List of Open Answers in the Survey
- Uploading a File
- Comments
- Inserting Images (3m 23s) [NEW]
- Simple Survey (5m 25s) [NEW]
- Loop (3m 48s) [NEW]
- Copying the Survey (1m 39s) [NEW]
- Survey Design (4M 54S) [NEW]
- PDF and RTF Export Settings (3m 32s) [NEW]
- Importing Text Into 1KA (2m 45s) [NEW]
- Entering Completed Questionnaires From Field Surveying (3m 25s) [NEW]
- Structuring Questionnaire Into Blocks (5M 14S) [NEW]
- Multilingual Survey (4m 13s) [NEW]
- Computations (5m 29s) [NEW]
- Sequential Filtering of Questions (Drill-Down) (3m 43s) [NEW]
- 1KA Survey Import (1m 56s) [NEW]
- Creating a Quiz (3m 22s) [NEW]
- Standard Words Adjusting (2M 32S) [NEW]
- Creating Groups of Respondents (4m 12s) [NEW]
- Transfering Response Value (Data Piping) (2m 23s) [NEW]
- GDPR Survey Settings (3M 43S) [NEW]
- Basic Use of Conditions (3m) [NEW]
- Comments Settings (3m 19s) [NEW]
- 1KA Library Use (2m 52s) [NEW]
- Two-Factor Authentication (2m 13s) [NEW]
- Survey Testing (5m 20s) [NEW]