Advantages of Online Research in China

The shift from offline to online research should drastically improve the validity of findings of surveys of Chinese respondents, according to a recent study by Survey Sampling International (SSI).

SSI interviewed 484 Chinese offline and 480 Chinese online, and found striking differences depending on methodology, many of them relating to long-understood and debated research problems resulting from Asian culture. With the custom of avoiding direct criticism where possible, Asian respondents can give misleading answers, motivated by the wish to be polite. Additionally, in China, modesty is highly valued and regarded as one of the 'Five Virtues'.

Offline, and particularly face-to-face, this means a reluctance to voice a strong opinion and frequent choice of options in the middle of a rating scale, making interpretation of scores very difficult: online, SSI results indicate that this tendency all but disappears. Offline the firm noted 'only 111 extreme answers at either end of the spectrum of options but 772 midpoint responses', while online research generated three times as many strong opinions (378) and only half the amount of midpoint responses (386).

Furthermore, SSI says online research has a much lower dropout rate (6% non-completion) compared to offline respondents (46%).

Says Harry Kelly, SSI's Vice President, Global Marketing: 'The data gathered in this survey outlines quite significantly how marketing and market research in China is affected by culture! New techniques like online panels offer solutions to get a better idea of what the majority thinks.'

SSI, founded in 1977, now provides access to more than 3.5 million research respondents in more than 70 countries via proprietary communities and managed affiliate relationships. Based in Fairfield, CT, USA, it has additional offices in London, Paris, Rotterdam, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Madrid, Beijing, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and La Quinta, CA, and is online at www.surveysampling.com.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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