Survey Phenomena – That Make the Best Surveys Faulty (Part II)

Last week we shared some of the reasons why surveys do not deliver the expected results. Here’s the second and final installment of some survey phenomena that make the best surveys faulty.
Straight Line
Sometimes participants, for the sake of completing a survey, tend to indulge in ‘straight-line’ responding, i.e. choosing answers down the same column on a page.

Solution:
Avoid asking too many sub-questions.

Alabama Effect
Participants tend to choose the default answer option when in a hurry. This phenomenon is known as Alabama effect.

Solution:
Avoid setting a default answer option if the list is too long. Set such questions as mandatory.

Ballot-box Stuffing
When a person participates in a survey multiple times and skews the results, it is known as ballot-box stuffing.

Solution:
1. Allow participants to take a survey only once.
2. Restrict your participants IP address once they have participated in your survey.