Some researchers want access to high-quality samples but might not have a long enough survey nor the budget to warrant paying for their own custom project.
The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is a creative solution that allows multiple researchers to share space on a single survey with a probability-based design. By splitting the costs associated with fielding a survey, it gives researchers the option to get data quickly without sacrificing on quality or breaking the bank.
How does it work?
- The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus fields twice per month on a Friday-Monday field period.
- It delivers a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 18 or older in English (with a Spanish language option).
- Data collection is conducted online and via phone (for non-internet and web reluctant respondents).
- The placement of client questions on our Omnibus is randomized to minimize any bias or order effects among topics. Topics are first come, first served, to ensure no two clients ask the same questions.
- Standard demographic data is included at no extra cost, reducing the need for clients to re-ask (or pay for!) them in their survey.
- Standard deliverables are provided by close of business on Tuesday.
What makes it high quality?
Our Omnibus draws samples entirely from the SSRS Opinion Panel, which has a probability-based recruitment methodology. No one can volunteer or sign up for the SSRS Opinion Panel; members are randomly selected and invited to participate. The panel recruits randomly selected panelists using a nationally-representative address-based sample (ABS) design with a randomly dialed prepaid cell phone supplement (RDD). This reduces the risk of bias and ensures that bots or fraudulent panelists are not recruited.
Our transparent methodology also means you’ll know exactly where your respondents came from. We’ll provide you with a methodology report with details on how the panel is recruited, how Omnibus sample is drawn, and detailed response rate metrics.
And unlike most panel surveys, we include people who do not use the internet or who prefer not to take surveys online. All panelists are offered a choice between completing surveys online or by phone with live interviewers. While most choose the online mode, a small portion choose phone. By allowing panelists to receive and complete surveys in the mode they are most comfortable, we ensure that their perspectives are included in our surveys.
How is it used?
The Omnibus is a great solution for pretty much any type of survey that is 15 questions or less. But the consistency and frequency of our Omnibus make it an especially great vehicle for…
- Asking about current events
- Getting trended data at low cost
- Quick measurements of brand awareness, messaging and consumer sentiment
Already planning to run a larger, standalone survey? Consider supplementing it with the Omnibus. It’s a great way to pre-plan for your survey by running…
- Checks to estimate the incidence of the population you’re studying
- Tests to help you finalize the wording of your survey questions
- Other methodological experiments that can help to finalize your study design
What deliverables are included?
- Weighted SPSS data file with standard demographics (also available in Excel, CSV, or SAS).
- Crosstabs with columns for standard demographics like race, age, gender, and education.
- Methods report with response rate calculations.
Need more? SSRS is a full-service company and can work with your team on designing custom deliverables that meet your study’s needs.
How much does it cost?
- $1,000 per question for the first three questions. After that, $750 per question. (3 question minimum, 15 question maximum).
- $100 per question to include an additional n=25 Spanish language interviews.
- Crosstabs can be customized for $300 per banner.
- Custom profile data from our panel database can be appended for $500 per variable.
Contact us regarding pricing if you also require something custom like questionnaire support, toplines, PowerPoint reports, custom weights or coding.
Need more than 1,000 completes? We can oversample!
We have the option to go beyond our standard delivery of 1,000 completes:
- General Population: We can increase the overall size of the Omnibus just for your questions. Need 1,200? 1,500? 2,000? We can make it happen!
- Specific Populations: We can oversample any population that can be targeted through their profile data. You can increase the sample size of key research groups like parents, young people, Hispanics, and much more.
We’ll work with you on pricing and timing considerations for adding an oversample to your project.
The Bottom Line
- The unique multi-client setup of the SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus makes it the perfect blend of a “high-quality” and “cost-efficient” vehicle for collecting quick-turn, rigorous survey data.
- You can trust our Omnibus sample. The SSRS Opinion Panel is not an “opt in” or “volunteer” panel. Surveys conducted with volunteers or people who “opt-in” to take part in the survey can only represent those people who decided to participate. Even when adjustments are made to try to make those responses representative of the population being studied, many research studies have found them to be less accurate and display clear bias. This is known as “self-selection bias.”
- Unlike surveys conducted on opt-in panels, the SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus includes people who do not use the internet or who prefer not to take surveys online.
Ask Yourself…
- Do you have a short survey you want to conduct without blowing your budget? Are you looking for a reliable way to gather public opinion trends?
- Do you have any survey questions you want to test before using them in a full survey?
- Do you know where your current sample provider finds its respondents? Are you sure it’s free from self-selection bias and bots?
- Whose perspectives are you missing if your survey is conducted entirely online? If your survey excludes those who don’t use the internet or are unwilling to take web surveys, are you really telling the whole story?
