As many have noted, one of the trends in research is “participant engagement.” Concerned that fewer individuals will want to engage in market research as participants, the industry has decided to take a hard look in the mirror. It hasn’t been easy.

Kevin Lonnie has explored this issue, notably in MRA’s Alert Magazine (Ocober, 2009). His thoughts can also be found here.

I agree with everything he writes, but think that the key action item is that we all begin to at least consider adding the IMRO Survey Satisfaction battery to the end of our surveys.

See below (on a five point scale):

1. Time and effort required to complete the survey was reasonable.
2. This survey was a good use of my time.
3. This survey was well written.
4. I am being adequately compensated for my input.
5. This survey was well organized.
6. This suvey’s subject matter was important to me personally.
7. Overall, I am satisfied with the survey experience.

For another solid take on this topic, I recommend Research Rockstar’s thoughts on matching methodology sample universe to project objectives. The survey instrument itself is just one element of the equation.