How to increase your survey response rate (and get better data)

Your survey response rate has a direct impact on the accuracy, reliability and representativeness of your results. When fewer people respond, it becomes harder to trust the data. Even small drops in participation can skew what you think your audience wants or believes.

Low response rates don’t just slow you down; they create uncertainty that can undermine confidence in the findings altogether.

In this guide, we’ll explain what a survey response rate is, how to calculate it, what “good” looks like across channels and audiences and the biggest factors that influence participation.

You’ll also learn practical ways to lift response rates through better targeting, incentives, timing, and survey design, while keeping data quality high.

TL;DR: 

• A survey response rate is the percentage of invited people who complete your survey. Your survey response rate matters because low response rates can skew results and reduce how confidently you can act on the insights.
• Response rate and completion rate are not the same, and looking at both helps you spot whether the issue is getting people in the door or keeping them engaged to the end.
• There is no universal “good” response rate because it varies by audience and channel, so benchmarks are only useful when you compare similar setups.
• You can influence response rates through survey design, targeting, trust signals in your invite and the way you use incentives and reminders.
• Small execution changes can make a big difference, especially keeping surveys short, writing clear questions, optimising for mobile and making the invitation feel legitimate and worth someone’s time.

What is a survey response rate?

A survey response rate is the percentage of people who complete your survey out of everyone who was invited to take it. It’s almost never 100%, and that’s okay. 

A realistic, average survey response rate varies by audience, survey type, incentive structure and where the survey is distributed.

Response rate matters because it affects how reliable and representative your insights are. A higher response rate usually means stronger data quality, while a low response rate can introduce bias or limit how confidently you can act on the results.

You can calculate your response rate using a simple formula: 

📊 Response rate = (Number of completed surveys ÷ Number of people invited) × 100

For example, if you send your survey to 1,000 people and 320 complete it, your survey response rate is 32%.

Response rate vs. completion rate: What’s the difference?

When analyzing survey performance, it’s easy to mix up survey completion rate vs. response rate, but they measure two different stages of participation. Response rate looks at how many invited people engage with your survey, while completion rate shows how many of those starters make it to the end. 

➡️ Response rate = people who were invited vs. people who began or completed the survey.

➡️ Completion rate = people who started the survey vs. people who completed it.

This difference matters. You can have a high response rate but a low completion rate, which usually points to problems inside the survey itself.

You can calculate the completion rate like this:

📊Completion rate = (Completed surveys ÷ Started surveys) × 100

Common reasons for low survey completion rates include:

• The survey is too long or complex
• Confusing or repetitive questions
• Poor mobile experience
• Sensitive questions were introduced too early
• Lack of clarity about the incentive or the time needed
• Slow loading times or technical friction

What is a “good” survey response rate?

There’s no single “good survey response rate.” Survey response rate benchmarks vary widely depending on how the survey is distributed, who the respondents are, and the study’s purpose. 

A response rate calculated for a general online survey will look very different from an employee engagement survey or an in-person survey. For most companies, getting between 300-400 responses from their customer base will provide a good balance of reliability and practicality (95 % confidence, ±5 % margin of error). If you only want directional or qualitative feedback fewer responses may suffice.

That said, industry norms give us a useful starting point. Below are commonly accepted benchmark ranges. These figures help you understand roughly how many responses you can expect from different channels:

Survey type/channel	Typical response rate	Notes
In-person survey	≈57%	Highest engagement due to direct interaction.
Mail survey	≈50%	Works well for older demographics or highly engaged groups.
Employee / internal survey	50%+	Often 20% higher than external surveys due to built-in trust.
Email survey	≈30%	Can increase with incentives, personalization, or timing.
Online survey (general)	10–30%	Anything above 30% is considered an excellent response rate.
Phone survey	≈18%	Declining as consumers screen unknown calls.
In-app survey	≈13%	Quick but easy for users to ignore if poorly timed.

What factors affect your survey response rate?

Several controllable factors shape whether people start your survey, complete it or drop out along the way. Below are the biggest ones to look at when you want to improve response rates.

1. The survey itself

The design and structure of your survey directly affect whether people engage, stay focused and finish. Small friction points can quickly lower both response and completion rates, including:

• Survey type: Different formats, like concept tests, trackers or customer feedback surveys naturally produce different engagement levels.
• Ease of completion: Surveys that load quickly and work well on mobile see higher participation.
• Clarity of instructions: Clear guidance upfront reduces confusion and drop-off.
• Question wording: Simple, neutral wording helps respondents answer confidently without second-guessing.
• Question type: A balanced mix of close-ended questions and occasional open-ended questions keeps respondents engaged.
• Survey flow and logic: Logical progression and intuitive routing keep the experience smooth.
• Survey topic: Topics that feel relevant or interesting boost willingness to respond.
• Survey length: Shorter surveys almost always yield higher completion rates.
• Personalization: Tailored intros or references to past interactions make the survey feel more meaningful.

2. Respondents and targeting

Who you target and how well they match your study have a major impact on your response rate and data quality. Even the best survey will underperform if it’s sent to the wrong people.

Before you launch your survey, consider the key factors that influence how likely someone is to respond:

• Motivation to respond: Respondents are more likely to participate when the topic feels personally relevant.
• Existing relationship: Customers who already know you often respond at higher rates than cold audiences.
• Panel membership: Panel respondents vary in reliability depending on their experience and engagement level.
• Recruitment quality: High-quality recruitment creates a more representative sample with fewer dropouts.
• Demographic factors: Age, location, and digital familiarity can all influence willingness to participate.
• Sample sizing: Choosing the right audience helps you determine the right sample size for your survey and avoid overreaching.

💡Pro-tip: For longitudinal research such as brand tracking, keeping targeting consistent across waves is essential. Even small deviations can influence response rates and distort comparisons over time.

3. Recruitment and trust signals

Your outreach needs to reassure respondents that the survey is legitimate, safe, and worth their time, especially before they click through.

• Invitation wording: Clear, friendly language increases the likelihood that people will open and engage.
• Brand recognition: Known brands tend to earn higher trust and stronger response rates.
• Confidence in anonymity: Respondents participate more when they know their answers won’t be tied back to them.
• Security and legitimacy: Professional design, HTTPS links and trusted sender domains reduce hesitation.

4. Incentives and follow-up

Incentives and reminders work best when they feel thoughtful rather than transactional which helps people feel acknowledged and supported throughout the survey process.

• Incentives and rewards: Offering compensation or rewards increases motivation to participate. Examples include digital gift cards, discount codes, loyalty points, charitable donations or entry into a prize draw. For B2B audiences, incentives like access to early results or exclusive insights can also be effective.
• Reminder emails/follow-ups: Thoughtful follow-ups prompt people who intended to complete the survey but forgot. 
• Transparency about incentives: Clear information on when and how rewards are delivered builds trust and reduces drop-off. 

11 ways to increase your survey response rate

Source

Even small changes in survey design, targeting and timing can dramatically raise participation. These tactics below will help you remove barriers, increase trust and create a smoother experience that encourages people to start and finish your survey.

Here’s how to increase survey response rates:

1. Use incentives strategically

Incentives can significantly increase response rates, but how you use them matters. Small, guaranteed rewards generally outperform lotteries because they feel fair and predictable. 

Always explain clearly what the incentive is, how to receive it, and when it will arrive. This transparency builds trust and reduces drop-off.

Be cautious, though: incentives should motivate, not distort. Oversized rewards can attract people who aren’t actually part of your target audience which can skew your data. 

Choosing appropriate incentives is key to reducing survey bias while still increasing participation.

2. Write good survey questions

Good questions keep respondents engaged and deliver stronger insights. Focus on: 

• Write clearly: Use simple, direct language and avoid assumptions
• Balance question types: Use close-ended questions for quick analysis, and open-ended questions sparingly to avoid fatigue
• Keep it focused: Stick to one idea per question
• Stay neutral: Avoid leading or loaded language
• Fix your answer options: Make choices mutually exclusive and exhaustive
• Do a quick test run: Pilot with a small internal group to catch confusion, missing options, or unintended bias before launch

💡Pro tip: Don’t just tweak your questions, tweak your title. Having a clear survey titles (e.g. “Shape our 2025 product roadmap in 3 minutes”) can noticeably lift participation compared with vague labels like “Customer survey.”

3. Keep your survey short and focused

Shorter surveys consistently achieve higher completion rates. Aim for 10-12 minutes or roughly 12 questions. You want them to be long enough to gather meaningful insights but short enough to avoid fatigue.

Keeping things concise also shows respect for respondents’ time, which makes them more willing to finish. To keep your survey focused:

• Limit length: Stay ruthless about what you include.
• Eliminate redundancy: Cut overlapping or “nice to know” questions.
• Set expectations: Tell respondents upfront how long it will take.
• Use progress cues: Friendly messages like “You’re nearly done” can feel more motivating than static bars.

4. Optimize design for mobile

Most respondents complete surveys on their phones, so a mobile-first design is essential. Here’s what a mobile-first survey should get right:

Choose a responsive layout that adjusts automatically to smaller screens, avoids horizontal scrolling, and keeps ample spacing between response options. 

Break long questions into digestible parts, use larger tap targets, and minimize excessive scrolling. These small improvements can dramatically reduce friction.

Also, avoid large images, cluttered grids, or long paragraphs that feel overwhelming on mobile. A clean, simple interface keeps people engaged and helps them move quickly through the survey which increases both response and completion rates across every device type.

5. Send your survey at the right time

Timing isn’t just a logistics choice. It directly affects participation and data quality. Surveys sent during off-hours or high-workload periods often underperform, while those sent mid-morning or early evening tend to do better.

Consumers may engage more on weekends, while professionals prefer weekdays. If your study spans multiple time zones, stagger sends to hit each region at the right moment.

Good timing also improves data quality. Respondents who feel rushed or distracted provide less reliable answers.

6. Personalize your invitations

Customers expect brands to speak to them as individuals, not just inboxes. Personal touches matter.

A personalized invitation feels more genuine than a generic mass send. Use names when appropriate, reference why the person is being asked, or mention relevant interactions. For example, “You recently tried…”

Keep the tone warm, simple and human; generic corporate language is easy to ignore. A personalized invitation signals legitimacy, builds credibility and increases the chances that recipients will do your survey.

7. Clarify your purpose and value

Respondents are more willing to participate when they understand why the survey matters and how their feedback will be used. Explain the purpose in one or two sentences and highlight the direct value of their input, whether it’s shaping a product, improving an experience or informing a new feature.

Adding a brief example of how past feedback has led to real changes can also help build trust and confidence.

People want to feel their time is meaningful, so show them how their perspective contributes to real decisions. This transparency increases motivation, reduces abandonment and encourages more thoughtful responses from start to finish.

8. Tap into psychology

People are more likely to complete a survey when they feel helpful or valued. Use warm, encouraging language. Lines like “Your feedback helps shape future decisions” or “You’re helping improve this for others” create a sense of contribution.

Small psychological cues can have a big effect: expressing gratitude, acknowledging effort and providing subtle progress encouragement all help sustain momentum. 

Keep it genuine though, and don’t be, not pushy. Authentic appreciation heightens engagement and leads to higher-quality answers.

9. Choose the right channel and format

The best delivery method depends on your audience, context and study type. For consumer research, online panels are often the most efficient way to reach targeted, high-quality respondents at scale.

For sensitive topics, an anonymous survey can significantly lift participation by reducing hesitancy and social bias. Matching the channel to the audience improves comfort, trust, and the likelihood of engagement which results in more representative data.

For sensitive topics, an anonymous survey can significantly lift participation by reducing hesitancy and social bias. Matching the channel and format to the audience improves comfort, trust and the likelihood of engagement, which results in more reliable, representative data.

10. Send gentle reminders

Reminders help recover respondents who intended to participate but forgot. One to three well-timed follow-ups are usually enough; any more risks feeling intrusive.

Space them out thoughtfully: a reminder after 24 hours, another after three days, and a final one near the survey close date is a solid pattern.

Keep the tone light, friendly, and concise. Reassure people that it only takes a few minutes and include a single, obvious call-to-action button. Thoughtful reminders can improve completion rates  without overwhelming your audience.

11. Close the loop with participants

When respondents see the impact of their feedback, they’re more likely to participate again. Share a brief summary of results, key themes, or a “you said, we did” update that demonstrates how their input shaped decisions.

Closing the loop builds trust, strengthens your relationship with your audience and turns one-time respondents into long-term research participants. This not only improves future response rates but also improves overall engagement and data quality across ongoing studies or trackers.

More responses = better insights

A strong response rate gives you better insights. It’s as simple as that. Understanding what affects participation, knowing what a good survey response rate looks like and applying small improvements across timing, design and targeting can transform the quality of your research.

And, when you collect more (and better) responses, you can act with greater confidence.

If you’re deciding which method fits your next study or wondering how many survey responses you need, the format you choose matters just as much as the audience. Working with a consumer panel provider like Attest also helps you reach the right people and secure a guaranteed number of completes, so you can hit your quotas without guesswork.

Ready to put these principles into practice? Explore our guide to the types of surveys to choose the right design for your next project.