Surveying Surveys
1/6/12
How many people actually cut the cords?
Reconciling survey data with the real world. A recent survey from Deloitte found that one in five U.S. residents say they have either cut the cord (i.e., cancelled cable or satellite service) or are thinking about doing it. Nine percent of survey respondents indicated they have recently “cut the cord” while another eleven percent are […]
By David KennedyRead More
9/13/10
Taking care of respondents
We’ve commented before how survey length can impact participants and data quality, but it is also important to respect respondents in other ways too. Set expectations. Inform them of the length, topic, nature of questions, etc. Don’t lead them to believe one thing then surprise them on the survey with another. Allow them to opt […]
By David KennedyRead More
8/30/10
External forces impacting research
When you conduct a singular research study you’re measuring a snapshot of attitudes, awareness, and actions. However, research doesn’t happen in a vacuum and it is important to remember how outside factors may be impacting your results (yes, control groups can help, but if the external force is great enough, it will be tough to […]
By David KennedyRead More
5/4/10
Asking questions in a vacuum
Think polls make things a little too simple sometimes? Ever wonder why reality didn’t measure up to expectations (that came from a poll or survey question)? The Economist summed it up nicely in an article from last week’s edition. When asked whether they supported a variety of issues, most people showed strong support. However, when […]
By David KennedyRead More
4/5/10
Opt-in panels vs. probability samples
At Corona Insights we never use opt-in panels for online survey research. (Opt-in panels are those where the members have sought out the panel and signed up to take surveys, usually in order to earn cash or rewards.) Many opt-in panels exist and they are widely used in some circles of market research (primarily because […]
By Beth MulliganRead More
11/29/09
Research gone wrong
When conducting surveys, I often say that the best survey is one where 80 percent of the figures match your guess and 20 percent of the figures surprise you. Why? Well, you hope to learn something new, hence the 20 percent. But you also hope that a good proportion of the survey matches your view […]
By Kevin RainesRead More
8/10/09
LinkedIn Survey
Last fall we blogged about LinkedIn’s entrance into research. While one might think this means LinkedIn understands research, a recent survey I received from them makes me think otherwise. I took their survey, which was done on survey monkey (with all of their partners, they couldn’t find a better service?); skip patterns didn’t work (or […]
By David KennedyRead More
8/3/09
Research gone wrong – online polls
We’ve all seen quick online polls on news sites, in our email, and on social networking sites. While the purpose of these polls is often for entertainment the way they are executed is often too similar to that of real surveys – anyone can take it and can take it as many times as they […]
By David KennedyRead More
4/27/09
How to rank – Four tips for smarter ranking questions
Have you ever taken a survey that asked you to rank a list? Maybe it was just a few items. Maybe it was many more. I was recently asked to rank a LONG list of attributes on a survey which quickly became an exercise in futility. When ranking nearly 20 items, can you really decipher […]
By David KennedyRead More
3/30/09
Timeliness of surveys
I was going through my mail last night and discovered a survey from the manufacturer of my car. Since survey research is a major part of my work, I figured it would be good Karma to take it. I happily started the survey and realized it was supposed to be about my most recent visit […]
By David KennedyRead More