In survey research,
response rate, also known as
completion rate or
return rate, is the number of people who answered the survey divided by the number of people in the sample. It is usually expressed in the form of a percentage.
As marketing and public opinion researchers, we throw around terms like response rate and completion rate all the time. If you have been in the online surveying business, you have probably heard both used frequently in articles and research reports and know that the higher the rate’s percentage the better. But what do they really mean? How are they different? Today we are going to look at the true definition of both completion and response rates and how they relate to your online survey’s sample group and statistical accuracy.
Completion Rates
When it comes to online surveying a completion rate refers to the number of surveys filled out and submitted divided by the number of surveys started by respondents.
Response Rates
Though deceivingly similar in description to completion rates, response rates provide valuable insight into the accuracy of your collected data. Put simply, a response rate refers to the number of people who completed your survey divided by the number of people who make up the total sample group.
Your response rate is the percentage of people who respond to your survey.
To calculate the percentage response rate for your survey, use the following equation:
# of responses to your survey / # of people you sent the survey to x 100
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Rücklaufquote - Definition
Anteil der versandten Werbemittel mit Rückantwort oder Fragebögen einer postalischen
Befragung, die innerhalb eines festgesetzten Zeitintervalls zurückgesandt wurden. Niedrige Rücklaufquote kennzeichnend für das Non-Response-Problem. Die Rücklaufquote soll v.a. von
Nachfassaktionen erhöht werden.
Die Berechnung der
Rücklaufquote erfolgt in erster Linie bei schriftlichen
Befragungen. In diesem Zusammenhang unterscheidet man grundsätzlich zwischen Brutto- und Nettorücklaufquote. Erstere bezieht sich auf alle zurückgesandten Fragebögen, letztere nur auf die Fragebögen, die vollständig ausgefüllt sind und demnach auch in die
Datenauswertung einbezogen werden können.
Anzahl der zurückgesandten bzw. vollständig ausgefüllten Fragebögen / Anzahl der verschickten Fragebögen x 100