What is a good survey response rate in 2026?

For many online surveys, 10–30% is often considered “good,” and 30%+ is often considered “excellent,” but the right benchmark depends on your channel, audience relationship, and survey length.

Are email survey response rates lower than in-app surveys?

Often, yes. In-app surveys can be triggered in-context while users are engaged, which can lead to higher participation compared to email, where inbox competition is a major factor.

How do I set a realistic response rate target?

Use your own historical baseline first, then adjust for changes in channel, list hygiene, incentive, and survey length. Benchmarks are best used as a planning range, not as a KPI target.

Benchmarks

Survey Response Rate Benchmarks (2026)

Benchmarks are useful for planning invites — but they’re a terrible KPI unless you compare the right channel and context. This guide gives practical 2026 ranges and a method to set targets using your own baseline.

Benchmarks by channel Set targets Plan invites

By Jordan Keane • Research Ops Writer • Published Jan 15, 2026 • Updated Jan 15, 2026

Quick definition

“Good” online response rate ≈ 10–30%

Many online survey programs treat 10–30% as a good planning range, with 30%+ often considered excellent.

Important

Response rate is a planning input, and also a quality signal (representativeness) — not just a vanity number.

Calculate invites needed

Use benchmarks as a starting range, then tune with your own historical performance.

Benchmarks by channel (2026 planning ranges)

Use these ranges to plan invites and to diagnose problems (e.g., “email is down across the board” vs “our survey is too long”). For general online surveys, SurveyMonkey suggests “good” response rates are often 10–30%.

Channel	Typical “good” range	When it’s higher	When it’s lower
Email (online surveys)	10–30%	Strong relationship, short survey, good timing.	Cold lists, poor deliverability, long surveys.
In‑app surveys (SaaS/web apps)	~25–30% average reported in 2025 datasets	Triggered in-context at high intent moments.	Bad placement/timing; repeated prompting.
SMS	Often reported ~40–50% in 2025 benchmark summaries	One-question NPS/CSAT; immediate request.	Long surveys; poor consent/list quality.

Why benchmarks vary so much

Audience relationship (customers vs “cold” prospects) drives participation.
Channel changes expectations (in‑app is “in the moment,” email is competing in the inbox).
Survey length affects response and completion; short surveys generally perform better.

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How to set realistic targets

A response rate target should be a planning tool, not a scorecard. The fastest way to set one is to start with your historical baseline and adjust for the current survey’s difficulty.

1) Start with your baseline

Use the last 3–5 surveys in the same channel and compute response rate = completed ÷ invites × 100.

2) Adjust for survey length

Longer surveys tend to see lower participation and higher drop‑off, so targets should be lower unless you add incentives or high relevance.

3) Separate “response rate” from “completion rate”

If people start but don’t finish, the fix is survey UX and question design, not your invite list.

4) Use a range, not a single number

For planning, set a low/likely/high estimate (e.g., 12% / 18% / 25%) and compute invites for each scenario.

Plan invites with response rate Estimate completion time Reduce drop‑off