Survey Response Rate Calculator (AAPOR and Online Panel Metrics)
Calculate AAPOR response, cooperation, refusal and contact rates (RR1-RR6, COOP1-4, REF1-3, CON1-3) or online panel participation, incidence and drop-out rates.
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How to use the response rate calculator
Choose Online panel for opt-in panel and sample-supplier projects. Enter the counts from your fieldwork report: invited, started, screened out, over-quota, completed and removed in quality checks. You get the participation rate, incidence, completion and drop-out rates, and usable completes per 100 invitations.
Choose AAPOR for probability samples such as telephone (RDD), address-based or list samples where every case has a final disposition. Enter the disposition counts and the calculator returns all 16 standard AAPOR rates.
AAPOR response rates explained
The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) publishes Standard Definitions so that response rates are comparable between studies. The six response rates differ in how they treat partial interviews and cases of unknown eligibility:
- RR1 is the most conservative: it assumes every unknown case was eligible.
- RR3 assumes a share e of unknowns were eligible. It is the most widely reported.
- RR5 assumes no unknowns were eligible, so it is the highest.
- RR2, RR4 and RR6 count partial interviews as respondents.
Cooperation rates show how many contacted eligible people took part. Refusal and contact rates explain where the losses happened.
Online panel metrics
For opt-in panels there is no probability frame, so a true response rate cannot be calculated. AAPOR recommends calling the share of invited people who start a participation rate. Researchers usually track a funnel instead:
| Metric | Formula |
|---|---|
| Participation (start) rate | Started ÷ invited |
| Incidence | Qualified ÷ started |
| Completion rate | Completed ÷ (qualified − over-quota) |
| Drop-out rate | Qualified but not finished ÷ qualified |
| Quality removal rate | Removed ÷ completed |
Frequently asked questions
What is a good survey response rate?
It depends on mode and audience. Probability telephone surveys in many countries now achieve single-digit RR3. Online panel start rates commonly fall between 5% and 30%. Trends within one study matter more than comparisons across studies.
What is "e" in AAPOR rates?
The estimated share of unknown-eligibility cases that are actually eligible. The common default is the eligibility rate among cases whose status is known, which the calculator uses when you leave it blank.
Is a low response rate a problem?
Not by itself. What matters is non-response bias: whether those who answered differ from those who didn't. Compare respondents with known population figures and weight where needed.
Need the respondents, not just the numbers?
Global Vox Populi runs quantitative and qualitative fieldwork in 170+ countries through its own proprietary panels of consumers, B2B and IT decision-makers, physicians, nurses, patients, caregivers and payers. ISO 9001, ISO 20252 and ISO/IEC 27001 certified and HIPAA compliant, following ESOMAR and Insights Association guidelines.
Check feasibilityLink to this tool
Free to use in proposals, courses and articles. If it helped, a link back is appreciated:
<a href="https://globalvoxpopuli.com/tools/survey-response-rate-calculator/">Survey Response Rate Calculator</a> by Global Vox Populi