Response rate

Response rate is a term used in epidemiology, statistics, survey methodology, and market research to refer to the number of people who answered a survey divided by the number of people in the sample. It is usually expressed as a percentage. The term is also used in direct marketing to indicate the number of people who responded to an offer.

Definition

In survey methodology, the response rate is the number of people who answered the survey divided by the number of people in the sample. It is usually expressed as a percentage. The term is also used in direct marketing to indicate the number of people who responded to an offer.

Calculation

The response rate is calculated by dividing the number of completed surveys by the number of individuals in the sample, and then multiplying the result by 100 to get a percentage. For example, if a survey was sent to 100 people and 80 people completed it, the response rate would be 80%.

Factors affecting response rate

Several factors can affect the response rate of a survey, including the length of the survey, the topic of the survey, the perceived importance of the survey, the incentives offered for completing the survey, and the method of survey delivery.

Importance

The response rate is an important indicator of the quality of a survey. A high response rate generally indicates that the survey results are representative of the population. However, a low response rate can lead to bias in the survey results, as the individuals who choose to respond may not be representative of the entire population.

See also

• Survey methodology
• Direct marketing
• Bias (statistics)