Posts Tagged ‘Online Panels’

28 Questions to Ask before Buying Online Sample

Thursday, December 27th, 2012

With all our excitement over the last few months about the accuracy of online polling during the election season—substantially outperforming “gold standard” telephone research—there was not time to share ESOMAR’s September 2012 updated guide to purchasing online sample.  The guide consists of 28 questions all purveyors of online sample should answer, publish, and make available to every buyer of its products and services.  The guide has been updated to reflect rapid changes in online sampling over the last couple of years, including use of routers, real-time sampling, and blended sample from multiple sources.

Before purchasing online sample for your next research survey, be sure that you know the answers to these 28 questions: (more…)

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Posted in Data Collection, Market Research, Online Surveys, Public Polls, Resources and Recommendations, Sampling | No Comments »

Taking Google Surveys for a Test Drive

Thursday, October 18th, 2012

Six months ago Google launched an intriguing new way to conduct cost-effective surveys that offers an alternative to omnibus surveys.  One or two easy survey questions are presented to online users as they seek access to high quality media sites.  They gain free access in exchange for answering the survey questions.  Google tracks how many people are answering each question and manages the process to ensure that the sample of  respondents answering each question closely matches the overall U.S. population (based on Census data for those who have Internet access).

Here are some of the more interesting aspects of their approach: (more…)

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Posted in Data Collection, Future Trends, Methods & Tools, Omnibus Surveys, Online Surveys, Public Polls | No Comments »

Why Cost Matters with Online Panel Surveys

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

Cost matters when you choose a sample or panel provider for your survey because there are good panels and bad panels.  Bad panels provide survey respondents at cheap prices.  But they do a lousy job managing and screening their members.  Not surprisingly, a good portion of the data you get from bad panels will likely be lousy.

A recent study entitled “Dirty Little Secrets of Online Panel Research” by one of our industry colleagues described and documented lousy panel management practices of some companies.  Mystery shoppers joined and participated in online surveys offered by nearly all of the leading panel companies that most of us rely on.  Here are some of the “worst practices” they uncovered: (more…)

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Tips for Sampling from Online Panels

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

Versta Research is a strong advocate for using online panels for surveys.  As telephone usage and technology have changed, phone surveys are increasingly difficult and expensive, and they are not necessarily more rigorous than other methods.

But that doesn’t mean “anything goes” when it comes to fielding market research surveys and public opinion polls through online panels.  Many panels are poorly managed and overused, and some have high proportions of fraudulent respondents.  While conducting good research through online panels is possible, it requires a great deal of effort and oversight from smart people who know what they are doing.

I was reminded of this recently as we worked with a newer panel provider that recruits respondents through not-for-profit organizations. (more…)

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How Good Are Online Survey Panels?

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Ten years ago, surveys through online panels were rare.  Mostly we conducted telephone surveys.  Today it is the other way around.  With online survey panels being a $2 billion industry in the U.S., there is now a wealth of comparative data to measure and assess the implications of using online surveys as a substitute for phone surveys.

The American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) convened a task force in the fall of 2008 to study online survey panels, and they have just released their report.  It summarizes issues related to recruitment, panel maintenance, post-survey statistical adjustments, validity, and reliability.

Here is a summary of their conclusions and recommendations (quoted verbatim): (more…)

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