Savanta_37_online_sample_questions_US

SAVANTA’S RESPONSE TO 

ESOMAR’s 

37 

Questions 

to help buyers of 

online samples 

savanta.com

37 QUESTIONS TO HELP BUYERS OF ONLINE SAMPLES 

Contents 

Company profile 

Sample sources and recruitment 

Sampling and project management 

Data quality and validation 

Policies and compliance 

Metrics 

3 

4 

6 

12 

15 

16 

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Company profile 

1. What experience does your company have in providing online samples for 

market research? How long have you been providing this service? Do you 

also provide similar services for other uses, such as direct marketing? If 

so, what proportion of your work is for market research? 

Savanta has extensive experience in providing samples for market research through 

our proprietary panels and our extensive supplier network. Savanta now owns three 

proprietary panels - Crowdology, The OpinionPanel Community, and the app based 

YourVue panel. The OpinionPanel Community was established in 2004 and, since its 

inception, has been available as a leading resource for accessing youth samples online. 

Savanta does not provide services other than those associated with market research, and 

as a matter of principle, we do not market or sell to our panelists. 

2. Do you have staff with responsibility for developing and monitoring the 

performance of the sampling algorithms and related automated functions 

who also have knowledge and experience in this area? What sort of training 

in sampling techniques do you provide to your frontline staff?Sampling is 

managed by the dedicated Operations team, and panel management is led by our Audience 

team. Staff are trained on the implementation of internal panel assets and external 

sampling tools to ensure consistency of sampling. The Audience team periodically 

monitors panel health to ensure responsiveness, quality, and feasibility. 

For the external tools, sampling process and associated algorithms are managed by the 

supplier DSPs. 

3. What other services do you offer? Do you cover sample-only, or do you 

offer a broad range of data collection and analysis services? 

Savanta offers a range of data collection options. External buyers can reach our internal 

members by either managed sample only research, or through full service projects on a 

quantitative or qualitative basis. 

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4. Using the broad classifications, from what sources of online sample do 

you derive participants? 

For our internal sample in the UK, US, and the Netherlands the panel uses a mixture of 

paid recruitment using external partners, alongside organic panel growth. We operate 

internal research assets as a general population, and as such, is open to all who pass the 

QA and fraud detection processes. 

Our recruitment partners largely work on a lead generation basis, using paid media 

channels to encourage prospective panelists to opt in as a panelist. 

We are also exploring using our own in-house paid media strategy using channels such as 

Google Ads. 

Currently we are not making use of any referral or affiliate programs. We do not make use 

of any intercepts for sampling. 

5. Which of these sources are proprietary or exclusive, and what is the 

percent share of each in the total sample provided to a buyer? 

For our internal assets, to build our panels to have high feasibility and quality, we typically 

will partner with a range of commercial partners as listed above for our panel building. 

These will typically be on a non-exclusive basis. 

However, we are developing our in-house proprietary marketing strategy. 

6. What recruitment channels are you using for each of the sources you have 

described? Is the recruitment process ‘open to all’ or by invitation only? 

Are you using probabilistic methods? Are you using affiliate networks and 

referral programs, and in what proportions? How does your use of these 

channels vary by geography? 

Our main internal assets are OPC, Crowdology, and YourVue. Membership of OPC is 

demographically restricted to those aged 18-30 in the UK with a core focus on students. 

Within those demographics, recruitment is open to all who pass the QA requirements. 

We have proprietary in-house marketing channels, and also make use of third-party 

partners to grow our panel assets. 

We are not currently making use of probabilistic methods, affiliate networks, or referral 

programs. 

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7. What form of validation do you use in recruitment to ensure that 

participants are real, unique, and are who they say they are? 

For our identity verification & fraud detection strategy we use a combination of technical 

and analytical solutions. On registration, users are validated using the Imperium RegGuard 

fraud detection tool. 

Those that successfully validate are checked by the Audience team on signals, including 

user profile and survey quality metrics over time. 

Additionally, all internal research includes the Imperium Relevant ID fraud detection tool. 

There are feedback systems in place with internal research teams to remove poor-quality 

respondents from the panel. 

8. What brand (domain) and/or app are you using with proprietary sources? 

Our current proprietary sources are: 

1 - Crowdology - crowdology.com 

2 - The OpinionPanel Community - opinionpanel.co.uk 

3 - YourVue (App) 

• Play Store 

• App Store 

9. Which model(s) do you offer to deliver sample? Managed service, selfserve, 

or API integration? 

Buyers can access sample on a managed sample only or full-service basis. 

10. If offering intercepts or providing access to more than one source, what 

level of transparency do you offer over the composition of your sample 

(sample sources, sample providers included in the blend). Do you let 

buyers control which sources of sample to include in their projects, and if 

so, how? Do you have any integration mechanisms with third-party sources 

offered? 

We do not currently make use of intercepts for sampling. 

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11. Of the sample sources you have available, how would you describe the 

suitability of each for different research applications? 

Savanta provides a flexible approach to respondent participation in studies. Our members 

have the ability to opt in or out of specific research types, ensuring that only interested 

respondents are invited. For recall studies, clients can collect personally identifiable 

information (PII) from respondents, and our management system can identify past 

participants for unforeseen recontacts. 

We carefully select sample sources to ensure suitability for each project. Our unique 

blend of supply and respondent access allows us to support a wide range of quantitative 

and qualitative projects, including IHUTs, focus groups, recontacts, and consumer and 

brand health trackers. Our surveys are fully compatible and optimized for both desktop 

and mobile use, enabling panelists to participate through their preferred channel, whether 

it’s a mobile app, website, or email invitation. We determine the best channels for each 

project based on user experience and device compatibility. 

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12. Briefly describe your overall process from invitation to survey completion. 

What steps do you take to achieve a sample that “looks like” the target 

population? What demographic quota controls, if any, do you recommend? 

Panelists or participants can be invited to join through direct emails or by clicking on 

a link provided on a website or application. Every invitation includes the opportunity to 

take the survey, details about the incentive, an estimated completion time, terms and 

conditions, privacy policy, and the option to opt-out, along with explicit instructions on 

how to start the survey, and a link to begin. 

When starting the survey, respondents are required to meet certain criteria through 

screening questions. Once they have met the criteria, they must answer all mandatory 

questions in the survey and submit their responses to receive the incentive. 

Savanta uses nationally representative quota controls based on the latest census 

data, to ensure that the sample population accurately reflects the demographics of the 

entire country. This approach helps to minimize bias and ensure the findings are more 

generalizable to the overall population. 

If more targeted groupings are required, Savanta will collaborate with the client to create 

quotas that work for their required audience. For example, if the research is focused on 

a specific region or demographic group, client-specified quotas can be set to ensure an 

adequate representation of that particular group. 

Savanta will use interlocked quotas when multiple demographic variables need to be 

controlled simultaneously. This allows for greater precision in selecting participants who 

match specific combinations of demographics. Non-interlocked quotas are used when 

only one demographic variable needs to be controlled, such as age or gender. 

Overall, the choice between nationally representative or client-specified quotas and 

nested or non-nested structures depends on the specific objectives and requirements of 

the research project. It is important to carefully consider these factors in order to ensure 

the sample is representative and the study outcomes are reliable. 

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13. What profiling information do you hold on at least 80% of your panel 

members, plus any intercepts known to you through prior contact? How 

does this differ by the sources you offer? How often is each of those data 

points updated? Can you supply these data points as appends to the data 

set? Do you collect this profiling information directly, or is it supplied by a 

thirdparty? 

Upon registration, all users initially supply core profile information of name, email, gender, 

age & region. 

Additional profiling is conducted as users complete studies. Users are presented with 

different profiling modules at the start of surveys for qualification purposes and profiling. 

Users are also able to update their profiling information via the user portal. We do not 

make use of any intercepts or third part profiling. 

There is no mechanism to attach additional profiling points to a study retrospectively. 

14. What information do you need about a project in order to provide an 

estimate of feasibility? What, if anything, do you do to give upper or lower 

boundaries around these estimates? 

As a panel expert, several crucial pieces of information are necessary for us to furnish 

a comprehensive estimate of project feasibility. Key details include understanding the 

demographics of the target audience, specifying the geographic location of the study, 

determining the anticipated length of the survey, and addressing any unique requirements 

articulated by our clients. Additionally, factors such as the incidence rate, quotas, device 

requirements for the survey, and the complexity of the project play pivotal roles in our 

feasibility assessment. 

Utilizing historical data, we offer mid-range costings that provide a balanced perspective 

on project feasibility. Throughout the fieldwork phase, our team maintains vigilant 

monitoring to ensure ongoing alignment with initial estimates. This involves regular 

progress checks and a proactive stance in addressing any deviations that may arise 

during the project. 

This ensures that estimates remain accurate and reflective of the evolving project 

dynamics. Our commitment to adaptability allows us to respond effectively to changing 

circumstances, safeguarding the project’s feasibility throughout its lifecycle. 

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15. What do you do if the project proves impossible for you to complete 

in field? Do you inform the sample buyer as to who you would use to 

complete the project? In such circumstances, how do you maintain and 

certify third-party sources/sub-contractors? 

In our commitment to delivering exceptional results, we prioritize open and transparent 

communication with our clients. We understand that effective collaboration is key to 

success, and we value our client’s input throughout the entire process. 

When we cannot find sufficient respondents from our own panels or from countries 

where we lack an internal panel, we rely on third-party sample partners. We assess these 

partners based on their recruitment methods, data quality controls, and adherence to 

industry standards and regulations. We prioritize partners who can provide a diverse 

and representative sample, ensuring that our research accurately reflects the target 

population. 

By collaborating with trusted third-party partners, we can expand our reach and access 

respondents from a wider range of demographics and geographic locations. This enables 

us to provide more comprehensive and insightful market research reports to our clients. 

16. Do you employ a survey router or any yield management techniques? If 

yes, please describe how you go about allocating participants to surveys. 

How are potential participants asked to participate in a study? Please 

specify how this is done for each of the sources you offer. 

Savanta does not employ a survey router, but we collaborate with reputable third-party 

panel providers who utilize these tools as part of their survey management techniques. 

These panel providers have established large and diverse respondent panels, which are 

comprised of individuals who have chosen to participate in market research studies. The 

survey routers help these providers to identify and invite suitable participants for each 

survey project, ensuring that the surveys reach the intended target audience. 

17. Do you set limits on the amount of time a participant can be in the router 

before they qualify for a survey? 

Savanta does not directly utilize a survey router in its operations. 

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18. What information about a project is given to potential participants before 

they choose whether to take the survey or not? How does this differ by the 

sources you offer? 

Respondents are invited via email to projects in which they are sampled. They are given 

key information on the project, including incentive, assumed LOI, and potential IR. 

19. Do you allow participants to choose a survey from a selection of available 

surveys? If so, what are they told about each survey that helps them to 

make that choice? 

Respondents are invited to all projects for which they are sampled via email. They are 

able to do as many or as few as they wish without penalty. Our panelists also have the 

option to log into the user portal and view/ take any surveys available to them. 

20. What ability do you have to increase (or decrease) incentives being 

offered to potential participants (or sub-groups of participants) during the 

course of a survey? If so, can this be flagged at the participant level in the 

dataset? 

Incentives are largely set algorithmically depending on the survey length of interview 

for our internal assets. This is to maintain consistency in our user experience. For our 

external sampling the incentive would be managed by the sample marketplace who may 

adjust the incentive levels depending on LOI, IR, and fieldwork needs. 

21. Do you measure participant satisfaction at the individual project level? If 

so, can you provide normative data for similar projects (by length, by type, 

by subject, by target group)? 

Survey takers are given the opportunity to give open-text answers at the end of all 

Savanta surveys. For our internal assets, we collect data periodically through feedback 

surveys and also offer the opportunity to give feedback on unsubscribing. 

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22. Do you provide a debrief report about a project after it has completed? If 

yes, can you provide an example? 

Savanta provides real-time access to survey results and demographic data for projects 

programed in the Savanta platform. Customers can analyze their data using the AllVue 

platform at any point during the project, enabling them to create cross breaks, charts, and 

export the data. For surveys not programed in the Savanta platform, Savanta can provide 

bespoke reports as requested by the client based on the following metrics: 

• Total starts 

• Completes 

• Screen outs 

• Over quota 

• Quality fail 

• Drop out 

• Country 

• Completion rate 

• Incidence rate 

• Length of interview 

• Device used 

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23. How often can the same individual participate in a survey? How does this 

vary across your sample sources? What is the mean and maximum amount 

of time a person may have already been taking surveys before they entered 

this survey? How do you manage this? 

Individual levels of survey participation will depend on passing the internal and 

external quality assurance measures. On all of our surveys, we make use of technical 

de-duplication tools with device fingerprinting to prevent the same respondent from 

accessing the same surveys. On our proprietary tool, more widely, users are assessed 

technically and manually for quality measures. 

24. What data do you maintain on individual participants such as recent 

participation history, date(s) of entry, source/channel, etc? Are you able to 

supply buyers with a project analysis of such individual level data? Are you 

able to append such data points to your participant records? 

As part of our quality assurance measure, we are able to view individual survey data at 

an aggregate and micro level. This information will be used to assess eligibility for survey 

participation and membership of our internal assets. 

25. Please describe your procedures for confirmation of participant identity 

at the project level. Please describe these procedures as they are 

implemented at the point of entry to a survey or router. 

We have implemented various security measures during the registration and survey entry 

process to ensure that our respondents are genuine and authentic. These measures 

include duplicate IP prevention, reCAPTCHA, digital fingerprinting, duplicate email 

detection, VPN blocking, and double opt-in. When respondents enter the survey, their data 

is encrypted to protect their privacy. Along with reCAPTCHA and digital fingerprinting, we 

also use pre-screeners to verify the integrity and authenticity of the data. Furthermore, 

our panel management platform monitors and identifies speeders, straight-liners, and 

poor verbatim responses, generating a report for the operations and panel teams to take 

appropriate action. 

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26. How do you manage source consistency and blend at the project 

level? With regard to trackers, how do you ensure that the nature and 

composition of sample sources remain the same over time? Do you have 

reports on blends and sources that can be provided to buyers? Can source 

be appended to the participant data records? 

Savanta carefully selects a combination of survey participants for each project, taking 

into consideration the specific requirements of the project. When it is important to 

compare survey results with previous studies or database norms, Savanta pays close 

attention to managing the selection process in order to maintain consistency over 

time. This is crucial because any changes in the sources or the contribution from those 

sources can affect the data. 

For tracking projects, the aim is to consistently maintain a balanced blend of participants 

throughout the agreed-upon period and avoid any unexpected changes that could impact 

the data. Savanta follows industry best practices by managing quotas by supplier, 

ensuring a consistent pool of participants from each source in the blend. The feasibility 

of the participant blend is thoroughly assessed throughout the project’s lifecycle, taking 

into account any exclusion periods to ensure the project’s long-term sustainability. 

Blend reports, along with panel sources, can be provided and appended to individual 

participant data records upon request. 

27. Please describe your participant/member quality tracking, along with 

any health metrics you maintain on members/participants, and how 

those metrics are used to invite, track, quarantine, and block people from 

entering the platform, router, or a survey. What processes do you have in 

place to compare profiled and known data to in-survey responses? 

Respondents survey metrics, including the percentage of survey fails by our research 

tech anti-fraud technology, and the percentage of removals from surveys, are tracked 

alongside other health metrics at an individual and aggregate level. This data is used to 

block entry to individual surveys and to facilitate the procedural panel quality assurance 

processes. The operations and research teams work in conjunction to ensure the validity 

of the data and respondents. 

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28. For work where you program, host, and deliver the survey data, what 

processes do you have in place to reduce or eliminate undesired in-survey 

behaviors, such as (a) random responding, (b) illogical or inconsistent 

responding, (c) overuse of item non-response (e.g., “Don’t Know”) (d) 

inaccurate or inconsistent responding, (e) incomplete responding, or (f) 

too rapid survey completion? 

Savanta utilizes carefully crafted trap questions in surveys to ensure that respondents do 

not easily recognize them. We have found that incorporating open-ended trap questions, 

along with other reliable and high-quality questions and checks, helps us maintain the 

integrity of our survey data. 

In order to maintain the overall quality of our projects, we conduct several general quality 

checks, including: 

• Open-ended question checks: Savanta employs automated checks to identify various 

issues such as copied and pasted text, gibberish, obscenities, duplicate responses, 

and the length of responses. We also have technology in place to translate open-ended 

responses for surveys that are not in English, enabling us to run these automated 

checks. 

• Overuse of item non-response/straight-liners: We employ automated checks to 

identify patterns in responses across specific question types. For example, we look for 

instances where respondents repeatedly select the same positive or negative end of a 

scale (e.g., “Strongly agree” or “Strongly disagree”), or consistently choose a particular 

answer option (e.g., always selecting the first or last option in the answer list). 

• Speeding check: Savanta identifies and removes respondents who rush through a 

survey by assessing their completion time compared to the median question page 

completion time. If a respondent spends 33% or less of the median completion time 

on more than 40% of the survey pages, they are flagged and excluded from the final 

dataset. 

These quality checks help us ensure the reliability and validity of our survey responses. 

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29. Please provide the link to your participant privacy notice (sometimes 

referred to as a privacy policy) as well as a summary of the key concepts it 

addresses. 

savanta.com/privacy-policy/ 

• Personal data must be processed fairly and lawfully with the individual’s consent 

• It should only be used for the intended purposes and not further processed in 

incompatible ways. 

• The data should be relevant, adequate, and accurate, with steps taken to keep it up to 

date. 

• Personal data should not be retained longer than necessary. 

• Measures must be taken to protect against unauthorized processing and loss or 

damage 

• Data should generally only be processed in the country where the individual is located, 

unless the destination has equal or stronger data protection laws. Client approval may 

also be necessary. 

30. How do you comply with key data protection laws and regulations that 

apply in the various jurisdictions in which you operate? How do you 

address requirements regarding consent or other legal bases for the 

processing of personal data? How do you address requirements for data 

breach response, cross-border transfer, and data retention? Have you 

appointed a data protection officer? 

Savanta has offices in the UK, the Netherlands, the USA, and Canada, and we have access 

to legal and data protection advice via our parent company Next 15 Group’s legal teams 

based in the UK and the USA. Savanta has adopted the EU GDPR as our standard. This 

means that we comply with most international standards as well. For research involving 

personal data from any countries outside the UK, EU, or Americas, we seek advice from 

the Next 15 Data Protection Officer. 

31. How can participants provide, manage, and revise consent for the 

processing of their personal data? What support channels do you provide 

for participants? 

Savanta provides a dedicated email address, dpo@savanta.com, for participant queries 

and DSARs. 

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32. How do you track and comply with other applicable laws and regulations, 

such as those that might impact the incentives paid to participants? 

As an MRS Company Partner, Savanta complies with the MRS Code of Conduct with 

regard to incentives and other related regulations. In addition, we have access to legal 

and regulatory advice via our parent company Next 15 Group’s legal teams based in the 

UK and the USA. 

33. What is your approach to collecting and processing the personal data of 

children and young people? Do you adhere to standards and guidelines 

provided by ESOMAR or GRBN member associations? How do you comply 

with applicable data protection laws and regulations? 

As an MRS Company Partner, Savanta complies with the MRS Code of Conduct and 

the ICC/ESOMAR International Code with regard to collecting and processing data of 

children, young people, and vulnerable participants. This applies to all of our operations, 

regardless of the country in which the researchers or the participants are based. 

34. Do you implement “data protection by design”(sometimes referred to as 

“privacy by design”) in your systems and processes? If so, please describe 

how. 

All of Savanta’s systems and processes are built on the basis of the highest level of data 

protection. We are certified to ISO27001 and Cyber Security standards. We have a suite 

of policies that all staff are contractually obliged to adhere to, which put information 

protection at the center. We conduct compulsory data protection training when staff join, 

and access to our systems is conditional on completion of this training. The training is 

refreshed annually. We ensure that we have written agreements with all of our clients and 

subcontractors that include data protection clauses. We have policies and procedures for 

conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments, for completing Data Subject Access 

Requests, and for handling breaches. 

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35. What are the key elements of your information security compliance 

program? Please specify the framework(s) or auditing procedure(s) you 

comply with or certify to. Does your program include an asset-based risk 

assessment and internal audit process? 

Savanta is certified to ISO27001 and Cyber Security standards. We conduct quarterly 

internal audits of our ISMS and this is subject to an annual external audit. In addition, 

we conduct regular pen tests, and our information security systems are audited by our 

clients. We have a risk register, which is updated monthly during the meeting of the 

Business Assurance Committee. 

36. Do you certify to or comply with a quality framework such as ISO 20252? 

Savanta’s CATI unit is certified to ISO20252 standards. Savanta as a whole complies with 

this standard but is not certified. 

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Metrics 

37. Which of the following are you able to provide to buyers, in aggregate and 

by country and source? 

We can provide a range of survey-quality data in aggregate form to buyers. This could 

include: 

• Qualification rates 

• Survey failure rates 

• Incidence rates 

• Panelists removed from internal assets 

All of these can be trended monthly or by country 

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etter.decisions@savanta.com 

+44 (0) 20 7632 3434 

Amsterdam 

Grote Bickersstraat 74-78 

1013 KS 

Amsterdam 

Netherlands 

London 

60 Great Portland Street 

London 

W1W 7RT 

UK 

New York 

666 Third Ave. 

7th Floor 

New York NY 10017 

USA 

savanta.com 

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