Join the Insights Association and the Global Data Qualitative cross-association collaborative in defining and monitoring “good” data quality.
High quality data is the foundation of reliable research, informed decision-making, and strategic business intelligence. The Data Quality benchmarking project is a tracking study that will establish clear, basic metrics of what "good" data quality looks like at an industry-level. These measures will empower the insights and analytics industry to:
- Quantitatively define what quality benchmarks look like and capture shifts over time.
- Set standards or norms that can be used to measure and assess performance over time at both the industry and company levels.
- At the company and individual level, compare their data to assess strengths and opportunities.
- Identify areas for industry improvement and encourage innovation.
The base wave, built on 2Q 2024 data, reports on the following 8 descriptive metrics: incidence rate, pre-survey removal rates, length of interview, abandon rate, device type, in-survey cleanout rate, use of link encryption, and post-survey cleanout rate. For this initial wave, we compared the data by company type (sample provider and research agency) and study audience (B2B and B2C).
PROJECT STATUS AS OF MARCH 11, 2025:
U.S. Wave 0 (2Q 2024) benchmark report has been published and can be accessed at this link.
3Q 2024 data collection will open in April.
Events & Media Coverage
Quantifying ‘Good’ Data Quality – Key Benchmarks & Insights
Insights Association
April 29, 2025 | Virtual
Register now
Ignite Data Quality
Insights Association
April 14, 2025 | In-person
Register now
MRS Thinks: Tackling the data quality crisis and bolstering trust in research
Market Research Society (MRS)
March 11, 2025
Live coverage
A Global Data Update (Americas/Europe)
Global Research Business Network (GRBN)
March 5, 2025
Recording
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can participate in the tracking study?
Any company who conducts survey research: for example, brands, sample providers, research agencies, research platforms, quality tech companies and digital data analytics.
Is only U.S. data being collected?
The call for data will be rolled out globally by associations who are part of the Global Data Quality (GDQ) collaborative over time. Sign up for notifications and follow the GDQ website.
How can I be alerted when the next call for data occurs?
Complete this form to be added to the mailing list.
What are the benefits to participating?
Companies will be listed, with permission, as supporters on the IA website and, as appropriate, mentioned in IA presentations and social media posts. Companies will also receive access to all of the results as well as access to closed door presentations and discussions. Only core metric results will be shared with the broader industry.
How often will the study be conducted?
We plan to do 2 waves each year.
What’s the methodology?
Our goal is to apply a weighted average approach across core data quality metrics, by company type (brand, sample provider, research agency, etc.) by countries represented by the trade associations in the Global Data Quality collaborative and major survey types (such as B2B, B2C, Healthcare). The data is collected from companies who provide a random sampling of anonymized records at the respondent level. The data will be weighted based on the relative size of the company defined as the total number of overall completes in the calendar quarter being collected.
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.
How can I find out more?
Email inquiries@insightsassociation.org with questions.
Company Participants: Base Wave
Insights Association thanks these companies for demonstrating their commitment to improving data quality standards and contributing data from their 2Q 2024 projects.