The lack of a standard definition of response rates in surveys has resulted in problems in the marketing research community, including ambiguity in pricing and evaluating research proposals and in assessing the quality of data used in industry reports and journal articles. This comment highlights the work of an industry task force which has considered the implications of different definitions and proposed an industry standard.
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References
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Council of American Survey Research Organizations (1982), “On the Definition of Response Rates,” Special Report. Port Jefferson, NY: CASRO.
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WisemanFrederick, and McDonaldPhilip (1980), “Toward the Development of Industry Standards for Response and Nonresponse Rates,” Report No. 80–101. Cambridge, MA: Marketing Science Institute.
