I came across a published report recently that made me wonder why people persist in reporting that there is a causal relationship when the data doesn’t justify the assertion. Actually, the reasons aren’t all that hard to figure out. Usually, it’s because the relationship seems obvious, and sometimes it is when the person writing the report has a bias they wish to share.But I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let’s start with a couple of definitions: A [...]

The press release for a study by Mintel, a world-wide market research firm, states that "people still prefer real-life recommendations to online". The study was intended to test the idea that real-world referrals are still more important than those received online.  Mintel's results show that only 5% of people buy based on suggestions from bloggers or chatrooms, while over 5 times as many buy on recommendations from friends, relatives, and spouses or partners.

I don't [...]

Professional secrets for do-it-yourself surveys In this half-day interactive training class, attendees will learn: How to increase the number of people who open and respond to your survey How to reduce the number of people abandoning your survey How to ask the right questions for your business issues and get useful answers If you are already running your own online surveys you know that there are lots of reasons to survey, from [...]

Proctor and Gamble UK has been forced to pull a TV ad due to misleading claims based on a poorly designed survey.

The UK's Advertising Standards Authority felt that the survey results were too likely to biased by the invitation process, which included providing free samples of Clairol Nice 'n' Easy (the advertised product) prior to the survey and a entry in a drawing for a photo shoot in New York. The ASA also felt that surveys might have been completed by [...]

Have you seen surveys where every question, no matter how trivial, is on a different page?  Or how about surveys that are just a single long page with many questions? Neither approach is optimal.  They don't look great to your primary customer — the survey taker — perhaps reducing your response rate. What's more, you may be limiting your options for effective survey logic. Every question on a new page The survey taker has to check the "Next" button too many times, with each [...]

Showing question answers in a random order reduces the risk of bias from the position.  

To understand this, think of what happens when you are asked to choose a question by a telephone interviewer.  When the list of choices are presented for a single choice question, you might be think of the first option as more of a fit, or perhaps the last option is top-of-mind.   The problem is even more acute when the person answering the survey has to comment on each [...]

Sunday's New York Times Magazine has an article about a new program being introduced by the Hyatt hotel chain intended to stimulate real loyalty in the form of future business through gratitude generated by generous acts such as having [...]

A survey should aim to be like a conversation.  Online surveys don’t have humans involved to listen to how someone feels about the survey, to reword for clarity or to encourage, so you have to work harder to generate comfort.  Although you don’t want to take too long (the number one complaint of survey takers is time), it is still better to work up to the key questions gradually if possible.  Even though it might be the burning issue for you, you risk turning someone off if [...]

A couple of interesting studies relating on newspaper issues have recently come across my screen.  Combine with continuing speculation on how long the Seattle Times will last, and the segment on the Daily Show about the New York Times last week, it's time to share.

The Pew Internet and American Life study on online classifieds contains no big surprises.  Use of [...]

I just have to share this in the hope that a reader will be able to enlighten me.  What could this possibly mean?
Not a provider that I would think of at first, but I probably would not consider it
OK, let me give some context. This is from a survey on business internet services. The researcher wants to know what would be my likely consideration for each of several providers if I'm choosing a new one. The choices are as [...]