Why people take surveys...

Taken from a full article in the SSI newsletter:

As part of an SSI panel discussion at Insight 2007 in London recently they included Elaine Barker, a real member of the UK OpinionWorld community, shared her personal viewpoint on being a research respondent. Barker said she takes surveys because she enjoys it. "I'm a lady of a certain age and semi-retired now so it helps keep my mind occupied." SSI's research confirms that Barker is not alone.

The majority of people surveyed in France, Germany, and the Netherlands are intrinsically motivated and say they take surveys because they want to give their opinions. Influencing decisions and the designs of products and services is also high on the list of reasons, as are incentives and sweepstakes.

Still, survey-taking can be frustrating, and occasionally people drop out before they finish surveys. SSI research reveals that one reason people drop out of surveys is because of repetitive questions. In addition, respondents become angry or frustrated when they start to take a survey but are not allowed to continue and when they encounter a technical error. For Barker, the greatest frustrations in online survey taking are when surveys are closed when she opens the email invitation, and extensive screening questions that lead to a "sorry you are not eligible for this survey." In her words: "I go through a whole lot of questions and then they tell me they don't want me."

Ask yourself, are you doing anything to give participants a better experience?


Read the whole article about why people participate at: http://myssi.surveysampling.com/08/02/usen/trends_europe.html

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