Gomez Research

FAQ

The following are some common questions regarding market research. If there is a specific question that you do not find here, please contact us.

Q. What is a market research survey?

A. A market research survey is a quantitative research tool for gathering information from a large, representative sample of people using a questionnaire. Survey findings are statistically reliable and can be extrapolated to the larger population.

Q. Which is better: a telephone or mail survey?

A. Two data collection methods are typically used for large-scale, public surveys. The first is a self-administered written survey distributed to respondents through the mail and the second is telephone interviewing. The self-administered approach potentially allows more respondents to participate in a study, due to the relatively low cost of postage. These studies, however, suffer from a low response rate, between 5 and 10 percent, and generally yield fewer completed surveys. Telephone interviews typically have a response rate of 35 to 50 percent or higher and allow interviewers the opportunity to probe respondents for complete answers. Response rates are critical in determining whether a sample is truly representative of the targeted population. When only 5 to 10 percent of a population responds to a survey it is highly probable that the individuals who did not respond differ in important ways from those who did respond-and may have provided very different answers. Telephone surveys are also more likely to be complete, with a minimal amount of item non-response (bias on a particular question because so few respondents answered the question).

Q. Where do you get the telephone numbers for a survey?

A. There are two ways of generating telephone numbers for a survey. The most statistically reliable method is random-digit-dialing (RDD) whereby the last four digits of the phone number are randomly generated. This approach ensures that both listed and unlisted numbers are included. The other method is a listed sample of phone numbers drawn from the database of all listed phone numbers and screened by address and/or surname.

Q. What is an online survey?

A. Online surveys are appealing to many organizations because they are the most cost effective and fastest method for distributing a survey. Respondents are either sent an email with the survey questionnaire attached or they are directed to a website. In either case, respondents complete the survey online and submit it electronically. Online surveys are excellent for employee satisfaction studies and other studies where the respondents' emails are known. Online surveys are not recommended for public opinion polling because the demographic profile of Internet users does not yet represent the general population, particularly low-income respondents.

Q. How many surveys do I need for statistically reliable results?

A. A random sample of 400 completed surveys is the industry standard for robust sampling, yielding a margin of error of +/-5 % at the 95% confidence level. This means that if the survey were conducted repeatedly, 95 times out of 100, the results would be the same, give or take 5 percentage points. Organizations often elect to conduct larger samples to ensure that there are a sufficient number of cases for each sub-population they wish to analyze such as gender, ethnicity, or income.

Q. What is a focus group?

A. A focus group is a qualitative research tool whereby a group of 7 to 10 people participate in a discussion that is lead by a trained moderator. It is an opportunity to express ideas and opinions in an open forum that allows the moderator to probe responses. This flexibility to explore unanticipated issues is not possible within the more structured questions of a survey. The purpose of focus groups is to determine the perceptions, feelings, and manner of thinking of consumers about products, services, or ideas.

Q. Are focus group results valid?

A. Focus groups are valid if they are used to answer the right questions. Focus groups can provide reliable insights into the motivations, needs, concerns, and priorities of the people you serve or the audience you are trying to reach. Focus groups are not useful for measuring the extent to which a view or practice is widespread. For example, a focus group would not be useful to measure how many people have been exposed to your advertising campaign. However, focus groups would be very helpful in testing an advertisement to determine how people interpret it, feel about it, and whether it communicates the intended message.

Q. How many focus groups do I need to conduct?

A. Ideally, you should conduct at least two focus groups with each target audience. The more focus groups you conduct, the more reliable your findings will be. Multiple groups allow the analyst to observe trends in the data and reduce the likelihood that anomalies in one group would affect overall findings.

Q. How much does a focus groups cost?

A. The cost of a focus group varies depending on who you are trying to recruit, the level of cash incentive, and whether a bi-lingual moderator and host are needed. Generally, focus groups cost between $5,000 and $7,000 for the first group, with discounts for each subsequent group. This cost includes the development of a moderator's guide, recruitment of participants, a professional moderator, use of formal focus group facilities with a two-way mirror and an observation room, a light meal for participants and clients, audio-tape of the discussion, and a final report.

Q. How are focus group participants recruited?

A. Unless your organization has a list of employees, customers, or other populations you would like us to recruit, we depend on a database of potential participants who we have carefully screened to meet the demographic requirements of your study. We select people who are comfortable speaking in groups to ensure a lively and productive discussion. Gomez Research does not use "professional" focus group participants-people who participate in focus groups on a regular basis for supplemental income. Anyone who has participated in a focus group within the last 6 months is excluded from our studies.