Data Quality Benchmarks Initiative

Join the movement to build and monitor data quality standards for our industry. Share your company’s data anonymously on a quarterly basis to help create a database of quantitative benchmarks to support more effective decision-making and innovation.

The Data Quality Benchmarks Initiative is vital to advance the reliability and accuracy of data-driven decisions. 

Insights Association, along with the Global Data Quality, is leading the establishment of data quality benchmarks.  Contributing to the Data Quality Benchmarks initiative is vital for advancing the reliability and accuracy of data-driven decisions across various sectors.

These benchmarks will serve as marks on the industry’s progress, measuring our success over time, and as signals of data set quality for people using research data. 

Contributing to our data quality benchmarks project is vital for advancing the reliability and accuracy of data-driven decisions across various sectors. By participating, individuals and organizations help create a robust repository of quantitative benchmarks that will set industry standards, identify areas for improvement, and drive innovation. Moreover, contributors will gain recognition for their role in enhancing data integrity and fostering a collaborative community dedicated to excellence in data quality.

FAQ regarding data anonymity and security

Will my company’s data be anonymous?

Yes. All submitted data collection files will be kept strictly confidential, and they have been designed not to ask for identifying company information. Any form submission that does include company or personally identifiable data will be deleted and not used in reporting.

Is the data submission and storage site secure?

Yes. The site is private: one can upload but are not able to see other files that have been uploaded. Secure 256-bit AES and SSL/TLS encryption technology is used to keep files safe from harm during data transfer and it is GDPR compliant.

What data will be reported? 

The total number of companies that contributed data, results by global, region, country and survey type and a list of all the companies supporting this initiative (if elected by the company). Due to the anonymous nature of the submission form, no company or sector scores will be created nor comparisons by company type, for example.

Who is conducting the analysis?

Insights Association will not be reviewing the data received. The analysis will be facilitated by an independent team of analysts in the Master's in Marketing Research and Analytics program at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business program, under the direction of Michael Brereton. Michael is currently Executive-in-Residence at Michigan State. He retired in 2014 from Maritz Research after 27 years, the last eleven as President and CEO. He served on the Insights Association’s (formerly CASRO) Board of Directors from 2005-2018 and was Board Chair in 2013. Michael regularly conducts analyses and provides opinion pieces for the Insights Association including the annual U.S. Insights & Analytics Industry Report

Methodology

A weighted average approach across six core metrics for global, key countries, and major survey types (B2B, B2C, etc.) will be employed. The metrics include:

• Fraud Removal Rate
• Secure End Link Rate
• Abandon Rate
• In-survey Clean-out Rate
• Length of Interview
• Use of Incentives as substituted by the IR / LOI / and type of Study

Weighting & Categorization:
The weighting of these metrics will be based on the size of the participating company. Categories will be cross-tabulated using the following dimensions:

• Horizontal: Fraud removal rate, Secure end link rate, Abandon rate, In-survey clean-out rate, Length of interview, and Use of incentive rate.
• Vertical: U.S., UK, etc., Global, Consumer, B2B, Healthcare, Mobile, Desktop, Low incidence, and High incidence.

Ask Frequency:
Data collection will occur quarterly, ensuring the benchmarks remain up-to-date and reflect current industry standards and trends. Each quarter, participating companies will submit their data through a secure form detailed in the submission details section.

SQL and Data Processing:
The analysis will involve processing large datasets from various companies. SQL queries will be employed to handle tasks such as:

• Data Aggregation: Combining data across different time periods, regions, and survey types.
• Filtering and Segmentation: Applying filters based on industry-specific criteria (e.g., sector, region) to analyze subsets of data.
• Cross-tabulation: Generating cross-tabs for the horizontal and vertical categories, enabling deeper insights into specific areas of interest.
• Weighted Averages: Calculating weighted averages for each of the six core metrics, adjusted by company size and other relevant factors.

Independent Analysis

The analysis will be facilitated by an independent team of analysts in the Master's in Marketing Research and Analytics program at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business program, under the direction of Michael Brereton. Currently an Executive-in-Residence at Michigan State, Michael retired in 2014 from Maritz Research after 27 years, the last eleven as President and CEO. He served on the Insights Association’s (formerly CASRO) Board of Directors from 2005-2018 and was Board Chair in 2013. Michael regularly conducts analyses and provides opinion pieces for the Insights Association including the annual U.S. Insights & Analytics Industry Report.

Benefits to Participation

Participating companies will: 
Be listed, with permission, as supporters of the initiative on a dedicated Insights Association’s micro website dedicated to the initiative using their logos and URLs. Mention as a supporter will also be included, where appropriate, in Insights Association’s communications about the initiative and findings.Receive access to the benchmarks for your company’s internal use to compare and map performance as well as permission to use the numbers externally, say on your website or in pitch documents, should that be beneficial.Be invited to closed, quarterly calls with other participating companies to deep dive on learnings and discuss ways to move the needle,