Response quality in consumer satisfaction research

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of consumer satisfaction survey respondents' demographics, satisfaction level and behavioral intentions on response rates and item completion rates.

Design/methodology/approach

A consumer satisfaction survey was sent to 2,000 individuals immediately after receipt of a service experience. The respondents to this initial survey were then mailed another survey one to two years following the service experience in order to identify individual consumers who could then be tracked to see who responded to the survey.

Findings

The findings indicate that age impacts survey response rates, intention to return impacts item completion rates, and satisfaction impacts both response and item completion rates.

Originality/value

Ensuring the accuracy of consumer satisfaction data is invaluable to an organization, as the findings are the basis from which many important decisions are made. Unfortunately, many consumers do not respond or may not completely fill out surveys, leaving the organization with imprecise results. To assess consumer perceptions properly, managers must be certain of accurate and unbiased results to be able to make key operational changes.

Citation

Powers, T.L. and Bendall Valentine, D. (2009), "Response quality in consumer satisfaction research", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 26 No. 4, pp. 232-240. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363760910965837