Pew Research reported in 2012 that the typical response rate to
Pew Research reported in 2012 that the typical response rate to their surveys is only 9%. If for a particular survey 15,000 households are contacted, what is the probability that at least 1,500 will agree to respond? In just 15 years, according to the report, typical response rates obtained by the Pew Research Center have fallen from 36 percent in 1997 to 15 percent three years ago to just 9 percent so far in 2012. This is indeed a serious issue; the response rate in a typical Pew Research Center poll fell from 36 percent in 1997 to 9 percent today. Consumers of public opinion polls should always consider methodology and response rates when interpreting survey findings. The study is based on two new national telephone surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. One survey was conducted January 4-8, 2012 among 1,507 adults using Pew Research’s standard methodology and achieved an overall response rate of 9%. This is indeed a serious issue; the response rate in a typical Pew Research Center poll fell from 36 percent in 1997 to 9 percent today. Chief among them is the steep decline in response rates to telephone polls. This is indeed a serious issue; the response rate in a typical Pew Research Center poll fell from 36 percent in 1997 to 9 percent today. The percentage of households in a sample that are successfully interviewed — the response rate — has fallen dramatically. At Pew Research, the response rate of a typical telephone survey was 36% in 1997 and is just 9% today. But the Pew Research landline response rates have also fallen (from 25 percent in 2007 to 10 percent this year) and are now only slightly higher than the response rates currently achieved with cellphones (7 percent). Response rates for Pew Research polls typically range from 5% to 15%; these response rates are comparable to those for other major opinion polls. The response rate is the percentage of known or assumed residential households for which a completed interview was obtained. A new study from the Pew Research Center released on Tuesday finds that poll response rates continue to fall dramatically, reaching levels once considered unimaginable.
surveys