Dependable, Transparent, Representative: The “New Normal” for Sample Quality

Panel sample is what keeps the market research industry going. But as an industry, we are only as good as that sample’s level of quality.

We face a wide range of challenges when it comes to sample quality. Bots, VPNs, and offshore proxy servers can compromise data quality from a technical perspective. Professional survey takers and survey farms also have a negative impact on data quality, and traditional forms of fraud detection have lost some of their effectiveness as a result.

Regardless of the method or its level of sophistication, sample fraud has never posed a greater threat to our industry, and at a time when data quality is of the utmost importance to research firms and clients alike.

At Logit, we are invested in overcoming these challenges and finding ways to create better quality sample, keeping panelists motivated and invested in the process.

By implementing third-party quality tools, such as our restech partner Research Defender, to deter fraudulent behavior and measure respondent engagement in real-time, inattentive or bad-acting respondents are weeded out before they can damage survey data.

The next logical step to improve sample quality is to broaden the universe…to look beyond just traditional double opt-in panel sources. By using multi-source data marketplaces — which can include river, social media, and affiliate-based data sources — researchers can expand reach and provide better audience composition and further mitigate against single source bias.

Tapping into these differentiated sources through API connectivity creates a convenient, dependable, renewable, and more representative sample for market research studies. Not solely relying on panel sample as the single source of truth can and should be the “new normal.”

If we as an industry simply choose to not differentiate between these various sources — relying instead on API connections to bring them all together with cutting-edge data quality tools to minimize fraud — a more robust and healthier sample source is the result.

Most clients now understand that there will always be a percentage of data that does not maximize business value — no matter how good the sample sources and quality control measures — and will plan ahead for that outcome.

In return for this understanding, it is the responsibility of our industry to build towards full and radical sample source transparency.

The sample space is rich with complexity and nuance. Embracing — and enhancing — that variety is what will give it vibrancy and relevance in 2022 and beyond.