How to calculate survey response rate
Response rate = completed responses divided by people invited, multiplied by 100.
If you email a survey to 1,000 customers and 150 complete it, the response rate is 15%.
Remove invitations that could not arrive, such as emails that bounced, before you calculate. The survey response rate calculator can also show a completion rate if you track how many people started.
What changes the response rate
- How well respondents know and trust the sender.
- The channel: email, in-app, SMS, or a link on a website.
- The length of the survey, and if the invitation says how long it takes.
- The timing, relative to the experience you ask about.
- Survey fatigue from too many earlier requests.
Why it matters
A low response rate can make results less representative, because the people who answer may be different from those who do not. Track the rate over time, together with the results.