Government leaders might soon be lacking crucial data for decision-making — No joke! I recently attended an eye-opening webinar on data analytics. The speaker, a prominent government and academic figure, highlighted an alarming trend: a steady decline in responses to government surveys. Why should we care? Well, if fewer people respond to surveys, decision-makers will lack critical data, which could lead to poor resource allocation, higher costs, and misguided policies. The good news? Leaders can employ several strategies to boost participation. Let’s dive into some of them.
Avoid Survey Overload
Picture this! You’ve just received the responses to an important survey, but only a handful of people participated. Participants’ complaints? The survey covered everything under the sun — from work-life balance to the quality of office coffee. Sound familiar? Lengthy questionnaires often exhaust respondents, causing survey fatigue. To address this, focus your surveys on specific topics and utilize alternative tools and techniques to complement your data collection strategy. For example, you could use apps like Slido to gather real-time feedback during town halls or training sessions.
Keep It Short and Sweet
When it comes to surveys, size matters. Nobody wants to click through a gazillion pages just to tell you how they feel about the new office layout. Too many pages in a survey significantly reduce the chances of completion. Keep it short and sweet — ten pages max should be your goal.
Respect Anonymity
While some demographic data is necessary, questions such as ethnicity, rank, years of service and department, when combined, could feel intrusive, especially for minorities as they climb the ladder. This approach may make people feel they might be easily singled out. So, limit those questions or make them optional. Nobody wants to feel like their responses could be traced back to them.
Sell the Product
Just like any good marketer, you need to sell your survey to your audience. Show them what’s in it for them. Make it exciting, make it relevant, and, most importantly, make it feel like an opportunity rather than an obligation. When people see surveys as beneficial to them rather than an analytical tool for management, they’ll be more willing to participate enthusiastically.
Highlight The Impact
Highlight instances where survey feedback led to positive changes. For example, “based on your input about work-life balance, we’ve implemented flexible working hours.” These concrete examples will demonstrate the tangible impact of survey participation, which could encourage future engagement.
By implementing these strategies, you’ll be taking positive steps to increase survey participation. Think of them as a two-way street. When you treat surveys as a communication tool rather than a one-way analytical tool, people will feel heard and valued. And you? You’ll get richer feedback and a higher participation rate. So go forth and start creating those killer surveys today!
Speaking of surveys: While finalizing this article, I attended a government and industry forum. Coincidentally, a government leader shared their ordeal of tackling a 300-question survey every quarter. Talk about the mother of all surveys — Yikes!
Adeline (Addy) Maissonet is a Procurement Analyst for the Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy (DPCAP) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). She serves as a senior advisor on contracting policies and procedures and the agency’s representative on the Department’s views on proposed legislation to Congressional members, their staff, and committee staffers. Prior to her current role, Addy served as a Division Chief and Contracting Officer with unlimited warrant authority for the U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) – Fort Eustis, Virginia. Addy holds an MBA in Management and Contracting Level III Certification under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act. She is a graduate from Cornell University’s Executive Leadership Certificate Program. In her free time, Addy enjoys hiking and overlanding with her family and friends.
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense.
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