Data quality is no big myth in today’s date, with more and more tools to identify, interpret and isolate data quality issues within small and large data sets from a survey. But, in the first place let’s try to understand what leads to data quality concerns and how do we step up and play fair.

Major business decisions are dependent on insights derived through various methods of surveys, the most common perpetrator is the online survey, thanks to Covid-19, populations online presence has significantly grown and panel companies throughout the globe has taken advantage of this fact. At the same time, it is very imperative that survey responders are providing quality data and need to be legitimate.


From a panelist perspective it is quick bucks and from a Researcher perspective it has been found that, responders do not always provide the best data possible. This vacuum lately created during the pandemic has left a huge dent, where offline and other methodologies were being tried and tested for Online surveys.

Online surveys now allow variant ways to collect data at methods that were not possible in the past, boom of Research Technology, Programmatic advertising, Crowdsourcing and many more, etc… opens a new world of inventory that gives access to researchers; it is become faster and cheaper to quickly collect data, that’s a rapid revolution. Now, that calls for concerns with data quality as well, Period!!!

Let’s classify potential reasons for concerns into data quality and look at how we can support researchers to offer good data to meet survey objectives, since we know data quality can adversely impact critical decision making.




Survey Fatigue: – Survey response can sometime take complex turn due to fatigue impacting the dynamics of survey data, and three folks to be blamed at. One, the researcher who models the research, second, the respondent, who participates in the survey, third the sample companies who send out surveys to their panelist.

  • Researcher:- lengthy surveys are inevitable, you might want to capture topics, subjects, concepts blah blah and blah, but mind you this triggers fatigue among survey participants. This might not be part of strategic survey planning, but this key ingredient will make a difference if you: –
    • Keep the questionnaire concise
    • Break it up, split the surveys into few short surveys
    • Add a time bar to the survey, which displays what the respondent should expect in terms of time being spent
    • Create your budget, foreseeing the LOI impact, this might cost data quality if not taken care appropriately
    • Speak to your field team understanding what demographics data can be prepopulated to avoid at least 5-10% of the LOI


    “There may be many more, add your thoughts in the comments below.”

  • Respondents:- Surveys are vital to understand opinions and behaviours about a subject, it is important for the brands/organizations to bring out what is critical to decision making. So be sure execute your right to respond.
    • Do your part of the vetting of the panel company you register with
    • Ensure you lookout for survey LOI on the invite/email campaign you receive
    • If the survey is 25+ minutes, lookout for time indicator on the survey page
    • Ensure you provide your attention to the survey
    • Report back to the panel company you are registered with regarding the LOI if you were told incorrectly
    • Follow best practices while participating in surveys as your opinions are key to greater decision making


  • Panel Companies:- Surveys are an extremely vital tool for business intelligence, we know it, right. It is essential for panel suppliers to follow best practices.
    • Most importantly, stop over-surveying. It is critical to balance sending and responding. We at Survience give great care to basics, each respondent is sent the 4th alternative survey and not back-to-back survey, which helps the balance, this is no magic number, but works mint.
    • Test, test, and test. Test the survey yourself and among your peers to see if there are any lags, which potentially the panellist would face and abandon the survey.
    • Keep the email campaigns pretty with relevant explanation of the topic of the survey
    • Be precise on the LOI, if the LOI is deceiving, expect dropouts and respondents abandoning the surveys, causing panel displeasure.
    • Incentivize survey worthily


Profiling:- Profile panellist to key detail based on demographics and relevant data points. Utilization of demographics will reduce the burden on the screener and eventually reducing LOI and fatigue through surveys.

Incentives:- There is no substitute to incentives when higher LOI is at work, it could be an iPad, a gift card, sweepstakes etc… it’s a quid pro quo stand that needs to be honoured for genuine participation.

Send it all approach:- Refrain from sending all the sample at once. Panel profiling structure is what will define how well target audience can be targeted.

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About Survience: As ground realities vary swiftly based on preferences, data, analytics, and insights play a critical role in helping rejuvenate organizations. With that comes placing a high value on speed and accuracy in order to be at the top of your game. We collaborate with clients to propel them to the top of their respective fields through the use of experience, technology, and innovation.


We, Unlock Potential! Want to know more about us, reach out to unlockpotential@survience.com