Introduction

Many people have encountered the problem of respondents dropping out of a survey midstream. When this happens, you may lose valuable information about your target audience and the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to prevent this from happening. In this article, we’ll discuss how long should a survey be. 

What’s the Relationship Between Responder Dropout and Online Survey Length?

The relationship between survey length and responder dropout is a topic of much debate. Some researchers argue that shorter surveys are more likely to be filled out by respondents, while others argue that longer surveys are more likely to be filled out by respondents.

The reality is that both factors play a role in the likelihood of a respondent filling out the survey. However, there are ways to calculate an estimate of the average length of an online survey and use this as a baseline for your own questions.

The relationship between responder dropout and online survey length is not straightforward. The dropout rate is influenced by several factors: the nature of the population being surveyed, the type of online questionnaire used, and whether or not respondents are incentivized to complete surveys.

The dropout rate can be calculated by: Finding the percentage of your response rate and your completion rate.

To calculate your response rate, divide the number of people who submitted their responses by the total sample.

To calculate your completion rate, divide the number of respondents who completed the survey by the number of respondents that started the survey. However, the completion rate is largely dependent on factors such as the survey questions, the will of the respondents to complete the survey, and the length of the survey.

According to research, the overall survey completion rate is generally between 20-50%.

Where N is the number of respondents who completed at least one survey, “n” is the number who completed at least one survey, and N is the total number of respondents who were asked to complete a survey.

Are There Ways to Calculate Survey Length?

Survey length is a tricky subject. You don’t want to make the survey too long, but you also don’t want it to be too short, because then you might miss out on important information.

One way to calculate survey length is to use an online calculator that will tell you when your survey needs to end in order to get the desired number of responses. However, there are other ways to determine how long your survey should be.

For example, if you’re trying to recruit volunteers for a study or interview people about their habits, it’s best to keep your survey short—say five questions at most—so that people can think about what you’re asking and provide good answers without feeling overwhelmed by too many questions. If you have more than five questions in your questionnaire, people may feel pressured into responding quickly and not give any thoughtful answers or opinions.

Read – Survey Response Rate: The Ultimate Guide

However, if your goal is simply collecting demographic data from respondents who know little about what they’re being asked (for example, they may not have had much experience with your product), then longer surveys are appropriate.

Another method is to use your respondents’ average response time, which you can find in the survey’s settings. 

This can give you an idea of how long they might be willing to spend answering questions. Another way is to see if your survey’s questions ask for more data than other questions do—if so, it may be a good idea to shorten the survey since people might not want to spend as much time answering questions that don’t provide much information.

How Do You Shorten Online Surveys to Get a Better Response Rate?

Shortening your survey means making some adjustments so that it fits within the allotted time frame but still provides enough information for respondents to complete it. If necessary, use headings and subheadings so respondents have more information when they look at each question and answer it as quickly as possible. 

Try not to use too many lines or words in each question because these could slow down responses if respondents feel like they’re taking too long making decisions on any given question.

When is a Longer Survey Appropriate?

While there are a lot of factors that contribute to survey length, one of the most important is whether or not you’ve given your respondents enough time to complete their responses. The goal is to make sure that everyone has had enough time to answer all questions and provide feedback.

The first step in figuring out the length of your survey is figuring out what kind of data you need from your respondents. Is it just for fun? Or is it for research purposes? If it’s for fun, then there are no rules about how many questions need to be answered or what kinds of questions should be asked. But if your survey is for research purposes (like asking people about their opinions on hypothetical situations), then there are actually some rules about what type of questions you should ask and when they should be asked.

There are two types of surveys: demographic surveys and behavioral surveys. Demographic surveys include basic information like age groupings, gender demographics, race demographics, etc., while behavioral surveys include more complex questions like “What was the last movie you saw?”

Explore – Survey Fatigue: Meaning, Causes & Mitigation

How Long a Survey Should Be According To These Studies

• Insights Association: The survey length is one of the most important factors that will determine how effective your survey is. According to Insights Association, a study conducted by the University of Michigan found that respondents who took surveys in a shorter amount of time were more likely to be satisfied with their experience. The same study also found that users who completed surveys within 30 minutes of receiving them were more likely to return for future surveys than those who waited much longer to complete them.
• SurveyMonkey: Additionally, according to SurveyMonkey, users are also more likely to fill out surveys when they’re given time limits (such as 30 minutes) rather than being asked to complete them at any time. Survey Monkey opined that “the relationship between the number of questions in a survey and the time spent answering each question is not linear. The more questions you ask, the less time your respondents spend, on average, answering each question.”

Conclusion

According to the research, a survey should be no shorter than 30 minutes and no longer than 50 minutes. If you’re running a survey on your own website, it’s important that you consider the length of time people will spend on your site and make sure that they have enough time to complete it. 

If you’re running a paid survey, make sure that you’re including a lot of questions so that there’s information for potential customers or clients to choose from.