The stage is set. You have put in the effort to design the perfect survey questionnaire and published and promoted it across various channels. And finally, the results stream in! But alas, your anticipation turns to despair as you discover that your data is filled with participants who were not your target audience.
Does this sound like a familiar situation? You’re not alone.
What are Screening Questions?
Screeners or screening questions are vital questions that are driven by the purpose of filtering out the desired respondents from the participant pool. Based on the individual’s response to the screening questions, you may choose to qualify or disqualify the respondent from taking the survey. Think of it as a litmus test that helps you identify whether the respondent belongs to your target audience or otherwise.
Screening questions can be categorized into types based on factors like:
- Demographics
- Behavioral
- Product-specific
- Industry-specific
Why Do Screening Questions Matter?
At first glance, the importance of screeners is pretty apparent; they play a crucial role in determining the relevancy of the data collected against the intended target for a survey. However, they also present additional benefits in the form of:
1. Running Targeted Surveys
When you envision a survey, you implicitly map it against respondents that satisfy your target specifications. For instance, if you are collecting data for athletic wear, you would imagine someone in the 20s to late 30s age group, leading an active lifestyle and having the disposable income to invest in it. Now, screening questions can help weed out responses that do not meet these criteria.
2. Reducing Survey Costs
While online surveys can shave off some of the expenses, conducting surveys will still cost you money. And when you compensate an entire panel of respondents, you would be charged for the whole of the set rather than having the leisure of paying only the relevant and high-value participants. As a result, screeners save the cost of remuneration to disqualified participants and offer you value for money.
3. Expediting Response Analysis
Once you receive responses from your target participants, you can start processing them directly rather than filtering them to eliminate unqualified responses. Bypassing these intermediate steps quickens the process of extracting value from the surveys and deriving instant insights.
4. Eliminating Respondent Bias
If your survey is precise, you may require someone who is a subject matter expert. Screeners allow you to assess whether the participants have sufficient knowledge on the topic or possess the background to participate and add value to the survey. At the same time, they remove any form of bias or inhibitions that the individual may have due to their expertise.
5. Enhancing Participant’s Experience
Imagine the frustration of participating in a detailed survey only not to make heads or tails of the questions! The initial screening conducted by such questions saves the respondent’s time and effort, which subsequently improves their experience. Now, only those participants who are worthy and relevant have to dedicate the time to your surveys.
6. Confirming the Audience
It is no secret that audience segmentation allows you to run effective survey campaigns. However, these audiences may switch from one category to another with time. Screening questions validate whether the participant continues to belong to the said cohorts or must be transferred to another one. In this way, you can even update your audience panels.
Concluding Thoughts
Screening questions enhance the quality of the responses that you receive for your surveys. Additionally, they present a host of other advantages for both businesses and survey participants. Use these wisely to increase their value proposition and enjoy instant results.