WHAT ARE THRESHOLDS?
Thresholds, also known as percentage completion requirements, refer to the minimum percentage of study questions a survey participant must complete before gaining access to study results and reports. When using the Dynamic Benchmarking platform, users can easily gauge their completion percentage via question tallies and the progress bar at the bottom of the data entry page while survey sponsors can gauge completion via progress reports in their administrative console.
WHY ARE THRESHOLDS IMPORTANT?
For survey results to provide an accurate representation of the audience, a meaningful number of responses needs to be provided. Establishing thresholds ensures each participant enters a sufficient volume of data to guarantee an effective study. While every organization has different needs, study organizers typically set a minimum threshold for completion at 50 percent. This threshold has historically proven to be a reasonably attainable completion rate that provides enough data for a viable study while still allowing for participants who may not have or simply cannot, for whatever reason, complete all survey questions. A new platform feature, which designates certain questions as “required” has improved the data collection process without having to increase completion thresholds.
HOW DO I IMPROVE MY STUDY COMPLETION RATES?
Even though participants want access to quality results, getting them to complete lengthy surveys in full can oftentimes be challenging. Many organizations tie completion rates to incentives, the most common incentive being access to the survey results themselves. Access to customizable reports and filters, as well as question-by-question comparisons, are other common incentives given to participants for attaining minimum completion rates. Additionally, progress reports can be generated for survey participants and used to inform them of their progress and encourage them to complete the survey or, at the very least, complete enough of it to attain the minimum threshold requirement. Lastly, reminding survey participants of data anonymity is a proven means of encouraging greater participation.
USING THRESHOLDS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Thresholds and threshold progress reports are useful in seeing who has participated in your study and at what level of completion. Setting minimum requirements for completion ensures the quality of your study results making it more valuable to you and your survey participants, while using progress reports helps you gauge the amount of additional encouragement needed for a successful study.
