How to Improve Online Survey Response Rates in Colleges

College students are busy, so they need incentives to participate in online surveys.

Improving online survey response rates in colleges requires some behavioral research and college survey administrators must understand the student body. Engaging students through surveys can help the institution address issues for improvement on the campus. Although participation is voluntary, emphasis should be imparted on how much it means to the overall growth and improvement of the college experience. Using social networking sites and designing a friendly template are just the beginning of a successful survey. You can start to improve online survey response rates by informing students about how quick and easy answers can be submitted using various technologies.

Instructions

1. Design the online survey using an easy-to-use template, like Survey Monkey. Include only a few questions per page. Set the survey up to show the completion progress as the participant continues answering questions. The questions should be simple and direct. Leave little room for write-in responses because these require time and could adversely affect the success of the response rate. Also, include the average time commitment to complete the online survey. Sometimes, college students avoid surveys because they appear to take too much time.

2. Implement incentives that encourage online survey participation. You could provide monetary or tangible gifts through a lottery drawing, parking permits or college game tickets. Advertise the promotion on social networking pages, including Twitter and Facebook, and on your online survey participation email request.

3. Market the online survey to the college community with clear deadlines and offer incentives. For instance, reward the early responders with campus discounts, like for textbooks. Partner with the bookstore to give a discount percentage. Provide the students a code when they complete the survey, which can be used for a discount on the next textbook purchase. College discounts could be one of the best methods to ensure you will improve online survey response rates in colleges.

Tips & Warnings

• State the purpose and mission of the survey and how it benefits the college students. It will create a sense of community, which will help generate greater response rates.

References

• Survey Administration Guidelines: How To Administer A Needs Assessment Survey
• The College Student Experiences Questionnaire Assessment Program (CSEQ): Maximizing Your Number Of Respondents Effectively And Ethically