Why do people refuse to participate in surveys? It is almost impossible to answer because the people who have the answer do not participate in surveys. In the latest “Protecting Our Assets” CMOR Respondent Cooperation Workshop in Washington DC, we found that most refusals take place in the first 10 seconds of the interview, making those ten seconds critical to achieving higher rates of respondent cooperation!

Refusals typically occur with:

• An abrupt hang-up
• A “hello” and a refusal after the interviewer introduces her/himself and/or says what company the are calling for, or the subject of the interview

We never know for sure why a particular interview terminates. Even when the reason is given (e.g. “I don’t have enough time.”), it may be an excuse for a myriad of reasons such as: I just had an argument with my wife; The subject is one I don’t know much about; I’m afraid my privacy will be compromised; I don’t understand the English language too well; You may be trying to sell me something. The list goes on and on…

So, what can we do to make these crucial first ten seconds have the most impact?

• We can train interviewers to recognize the telltale signs of a terminated interview by the tone, attitude and even geography of the respondent. This is called “Avoidance Refusal Training” and CMOR has developed, with the help of our training committee, a new module in our Basic Interviewer Training Suite. (www.cmor.org/pdf/Modules_Order.pdf)

• During CMOR’s recent Respondent Cooperation Workshop, several speakers noted how certain responses by an interviewer reduce hang-ups by an additional 5% to 10%:
  • Speakers on Avoidance Refusal explained systems that communicated information on the location/time of the respondent to the interviewer – information that could lead to a more effective interview.
  • Another speaker explained training programsthat can prepare the interviewer for the respondent’s tone when saying, “hello.” They teach the interviewer that if, for example, the respondent sounds relaxed - then the interviewer should start the introduction. If, however, the tone sounds abrupt and hurried – the interviewers are trained to react differently by saying something like, “You sound like you’re in a hurry and I have an opinion research interview to conduct. If it is not convenient for you to do it now, can I reschedule it when it is more convenient for you to do it?”
  • Another presentation during the Workshop centered on the issue of language specifically the English proficiency of the respondent – an issue that applies to Internet, mail and even personal research in malls and/or door-to-door. With 41 million Hispanic Americans (and about 25 million of those are of ages to be screened for an interview) if an interviewer places a call to one of these Americans and proceeds with the introduction in English, then a hang up may result. The solution: let the respondent know that you are able to accommodate his/her language by providing another interviewer for them. (Or, if you speak two languages, you can do it yourself.) The presentation noted that interviews should be ready to switch “hello” to “hola”, and have a process available for moving the interview to another person. CMOR has found that Hispanic Americans have higher response rates than other groups. Providing this alternative is a way to interview this segment of the population and both increase cooperation and represent the needs and wants of 13% of the U.S. population!

The tools and insights noted above (as well as many more) from the CMOR Workshop will soon be available for sale on CD on the CMOR website. In total, there are 21 papers packed full of research and other information on how you can increase respondent cooperation and help your bottom line.

In coming weeks, visit the CMOR website at www.cmor.org for further details on how you can acquire this must-have information!

Extensive Privacy Action Yields the Need for One Rule

The Need for Uniformity Stems from Interpretation

States vary greatly in how they define and interpret terms in privacy legislation. The state of New York, for example, has taken the concept of “sensitive” information to include demographic information. In other states “information” ranges from a series of detailed listings of the information covered, i.e. social security numbers, mother’s maiden name and credit card information, to general principles that define “information” as data that concerns an individual’s personal life. Ultimately, such broad end scope lead to many interpretations, all aimed at protecting members of the public from privacy issues such as identity theft and, in turn, pose serious concern for our profession.

The Federal Standard: The One Rule Approach

On the federal level, there have been numerous bills introduced that concern privacy. And in some instances, have done so to pre-empt state laws. For example, The Personal Data Privacy and Security Act, sponsored by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Arlen Specter, and Senator Patrick Leahy, would require companies with data breaches to notify affected customers, and would set up rules for the U.S. government’s use of private databases. If adopted, this bill would pre-empt more than 20 state laws that require identity theft notification. As a result, this bill holds much significance. Further, the Senate Judiciary Committee has already approved the bill. The next step for this bill is a vote on the Senate Floor.

Active Monitoring: Federal and State Initiatives

Though there are potential bills on the federal level that could pave the way for some uniformity on the state level like that noted above, we are not there yet!! Active state monitoring must continue on privacy and other issues, including a consideration for all contexts and nuisances. CMOR will continue monitoring initiatives for any developments that impact the profession and act to protect the interest of marketing and opinion research. Though preemption may solve the dilemma with one or more privacy-relate issues, there are numerous other state privacy laws that states have developed in support of their respective citizens. As a result, CMOR’s activism is critical to enhancing the needs of the survey research industry and to Shielding the Profession.