Online survey research, circa 2001
In a January 2001 article titled “Best practices for online survey research,” researchers questioned whether online survey research was meaningful or simply a more convenient approach. At the time, according to Nielsen/NetRatings, there were over 149.6 million internet users. The number was correctly expected to greatly increase, making researchers debate not if online research should be conducted but how to approach it.
When it came to email surveys, embedded surveys were best when compared to attached surveys. “The embedded email survey, despite its formatting limitations, can be answered and returned by the most unsophisticated of email users and, therefore, can appeal to a broader audience,” found authors Scott Dimetrosky, Sami Khawaja and Phil Degens. At the time, research had not identified a difference in dropout rates among scrolling versus screen-based surveys. Papers had found that scrollable or static web designs allowed respondents to make more informed decisions about participation using the survey content.
Today, most brands and companies have set standards for logo placement in finalized documents. In 2001, logo placement and general text and graphic layout was still in an experimental phase. Many researchers found that question alignment and logo placement had no effect on overall survey results. However, white space, the simplicity of the content and the ease of navigating a website were found to be crucial factors when starting online survey research.
Similarly, the appearance and frequency of survey invitations and reminders were questioned. Research had found that the more active an invitation was, the better the response, and frequent reminders resulted in higher response rates. Additionally, researchers found no difference between those getting an email reminder compared to those getting a phone reminder.
There were conflicting results when it came to open-ended question response rates. Some research indicated that open-ended responses were less informative than other survey modes. Other research papers argued that online surveys were far more effective in terms of the level of detail and word count.
While so much experience has either disproven or reinforced theories from 2001, it is always interesting to look back to truly understand how research has progressed to 2026.
Viewers gave Sydney Olympic sponsors the gold
A 2001 Survey Monitor covering the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games questioned whether minimal commercialism resulted in weaker sponsorship results. According to Performance Research, only 20% found the Sydney Olympics to be overcommercialized, a drop from the 1996 Atlanta Games (40%), which had been critiqued by viewers.
Research from returning worldwide sponsors including McDonald’s, Kodak, Nike, IBM, UPS and Visa recorded higher awareness numbers in Sydney than Atlanta. There was a 35% spontaneous recall in Sydney for McDonald’s, compared to 9% in Atlanta; 21% for IBM compared to 9% in Atlanta; and 16% in Sydney for Visa compared to 8% in Atlanta. A majority of Sydney Olympic attendees approved of companies spending money to be official Olympic sponsors and 34% indicated that sponsorship made a valuable contribution to the games and made them feel better about the sponsors.