Response rate update: Spring 2005 Radio Survey
Arbitron released a summary of response rates, consent rates and return rates for the 296 markets measured in the Spring 2005 survey. In the overall Spring survey, the average Metro survey area response rate declined 1.4 percentage points, from 33.1% in Spring 2004 to 31.7% in Spring 2005. The return rate increased 0.3 points, from 56.4% in Spring 2004 to 56.7% in Spring 2005. The consent rate declined 2.8 points, from 58.1% in Spring 2004 to 55.3% in Spring 2005.
In the Spring 2005 survey, Arbitron added 10 more markets to the response rate treatments for young male, black, and Hispanic households that were introduced Spring 2004 for low-response rate Metros. In these ten "targeted" low-response Metros surveyed in Spring 2005, the treatments increased response rates by 3.0 percentage points, from 25.9% in Spring 2004 to 28.9% in Spring 2005. The "Thank You" incentive treatment, which is used in black, Hispanic, and young male (age 18-34) households in selected markets, will be expanded to nine additional markets in the Fall 2005 survey. In Fall 2005, the "Thank You" incentive will also be implemented in the top 10 markets to include young male (18-34) households that are not black or Hispanic. (Black and Hispanic households in these markets receive a promised incentive for diary return.)
In 2006, Arbitron will continue to expand the "thank you" and pre-placement treatments to address low response rates and low proportionality indices. Ten low response markets are targeted to receive the treatment in Winter/Spring 06 and another ten in Summer/Fall. Expanded treatments to address young male proportionality in selected markets are also being planned.
These efforts build on Arbitron's response rate initiatives announced in Spring 2003.
Average Metro Survey Compliance Rates (%)
Spring 2005 vs. Spring 2004
|
|
Response Rate
|
Consent Rate
|
Return Rate
|
|
2005
|
2004
|
Diff.
|
2005
|
2004
|
Diff.
|
2005
|
2004
|
Diff
|
|
All Markets
|
31.7
|
33.1
|
-1.4
|
55.3
|
58.1
|
-2.8
|
56.7
|
56.4
|
0.3
|
|
Top 25
|
28.2
|
29.6
|
-1.4
|
50.5
|
53.3
|
-2.8
|
55.4
|
55.1
|
0.3
|
|
Rank 26-50
|
28.2
|
29.6
|
-1.4
|
50.8
|
53.2
|
-2.4
|
55.1
|
55.1
|
-0.1
|
|
Rank 51-100
|
29.7
|
30.8
|
-1.2
|
51.9
|
54.6
|
-2.6
|
56.7
|
56.1
|
0.7
|
|
Rank 101+
|
33.0
|
34.6
|
-1.5
|
57.4
|
60.3
|
-2.9
|
57.1
|
56.7
|
0.3
|
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