Ideal and maximum length for a web survey
Melanie Revilla
Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Carlos Ochoa
Netquest
Introduction
How long can/should a survey be? This is a question that we have been asked many times, even if there has already been discussion as to whether there is such a thing as an ideal or maximum survey length. Indeed, some researchers ‘are convinced that survey instruments have a maximum length beyond which there is an increasing probability of premature termination, random responding, or other behavior patterns which result in data of lower quality’, whereas others argue that ‘a survey can be...