Skin cancer campaign evaluation research: technical report (PDF ...

Average survey lengthThe average survey durations were 8.8 minutes for the pre-campaign survey and around 14-15minutes for each of the subsequent surveys, the extra time needed for recall of, and reactionsto, the elements of the campaign. The average survey length for the Feb 10 wave was 15.9minutes.1.6 Response ratesThe response rate for each survey is shown in the Table 1.6.1.Table 1.6.1 Response ratesSurvey waveResponse rateNov 06 12.9%Feb 07 10.3%Nov 07 8.4%Feb 08 11.6%Feb 09 10.9%Feb 10 6.2%These rates are lower than a typical response rate for online surveys. As an indication, thetypical response rate for a 15 minute survey on a health topic is generally 20% or higher foradults. That said, in all forms of survey research, the response rate among younger agecategories is generally lower than for older age categories. Also, a higher response rate couldpotentially be achieved with a longer field period.It is also worth noting that, when response rates are calculated for telephone surveys, theseare based on the number of people who agreed to participate in the survey as a proportion ofall those with whom contact was made. It is impossible to calculate the analogous figure foronline research. The response rate represents the number of people who participated beforethe quotas were filled, as a percentage of all those who were sent an invitation. Some of theseinvitation emails were likely to have not been opened before the quotas were filled. This is notto say that these people would necessarily have refused to participate in the survey. (Thecomparable percentage in telephone surveys would be the number who agreed to participate asa percentage of all numbers dialled.)Finally, it should be noted that the response rate for the Feb 2010 survey was much lower thanin previous years. The reason for this lower response rate is two fold:Department of Health and AgeingEvaluation of Skin Cancer Campaign | 2010 | PAGE 24