How to boost your survey's response rate
Your survey response rate shows how many of your invited participants completed the survey. If you’d like to learn more about how it’s calculated or where to find it, see Understanding your survey response rate.
Why a high response rate matters
A high response rate increases the reliability of your results and reduces the risk of blind spots. Each additional response strengthens your insights and supports more confident, evidence‑based decisions.
Rather than relying on a single “good” benchmark, it’s important to view response rates in context. What’s considered strong can vary widely depending on factors such as audience size, survey purpose (e.g. pulse vs. deep-dive), and how often you ask for feedback. The most useful benchmark is often your own historical performance—tracking trends over time and comparing similar surveys.
As a general guideline:
- 70–80% → Strong: highly reliable insights
- 60–70% → Solid: usable results, but watch for potential bias
- Below 60% → Risky: parts of the reality may be missing
Using these ranges alongside your internal benchmarks helps you interpret results more accurately and decide where follow‑up action or additional engagement may be needed.
For more tailored advice, please contact your Customer Success Manager or People Strategy Consultant.
How to increase your survey’s response rate
Here are proven strategies to encourage more employees to take part in your survey:
1. Highlight confidentiality
Employees may hesitate to participate if they’re unsure whether their feedback is anonymous.
- Emphasize that surveys are conducted by Effectory, an independent research partner.
- Inform participants about our privacy statement during team meetings and in emails to reassure employees.
Participants can find Effectory's Privacy Statement on the introduction page of all Effectory questionnaires, typically when you click the link to participate in a survey (look for the section labeled "Confidentiality guaranteed").
- For coordinators, check out our articles on confidentiality, privacy, and data security
- For participants, you can share the info from the following support articles to help them feel more confident about taking part:
2. Communicate before, during, and after your survey
Strong communication keeps employees informed, motivated, and aware of why their feedback matters.
- Clearly explain the purpose of the survey and how the results will be used to improve the organization.
- Remind employees of how previous surveys have led to real changes
- While the survey is running, share updates and progress to keep employees engaged. Celebrate milestones, remind teams of the closing date, and thank them for their participation as it continues.
- Use our Communication toolkit: It’s a great resource packed with ready-to-use templates and examples that help you communicate survey goals effectively and boost participation.