Know-How Exchange : Research/Metrics

Not sure if this is what you're looking for but check out the below link. It's an article about the decline of response rates for charities that fundraise via direct mail.

https://www.philanthropy.com/news/updates/index.php?id=3734

Firstly, never lump telemarketing and research together
(hint: it is insulting to the research professionals ;)

To answer your question, see: Telephone Refusal Rates Still Rising Results of the 2002 Response Rate Survey https://www.mria-arim.ca/COMMITTEES/ResponseArticle01.asp

I do not think you will be able to find data to show drop in the response rates for web based surveys. In addition, it would be difficult to demonstrate that there is an actual drop in response rate, since many research companies keep paid respondent web panels.

Good luck,

Luke Zukowski

Respondent response rates and respondent co-operation (you might like to Google this phrase), is a big issue for the MR industry and is a topic at most research conferences and for most research societies. There should be plenty of articles around from places like Esomar, MRS in the UK and in market research journals (eg International Journal of Market Research). Also check out Quirks online.

When the first Internet surveys were being conducted, response rates were surprisingly high, these have now dropped considerably as the novelty wore off - even with panels. Panels are also increasingly suffering from 'professional respondents' - people signed up to lots of panels for the incentives paid.

Researchers would probably blame a lot of telemarketing mis-practice for putting people off receiving telephone calls. There has been a jump in the people signing up to 'Do not call' registers in the US and UK.


Saul