How many survey responses do you need?

Start from the decision

If you are choosing between two names, 100 well-targeted answers settle it. If you need to compare five customer segments, you need enough in each segment, which is where sample size grows.

Rules of thumb

These are working numbers, not statistical guarantees, but they match what most research teams use.

• 30 per group you want to compare — the minimum for a readable pattern
• 100 for a headline percentage with roughly ±10 points of wiggle
• 400 for roughly ±5 points, which is where most business decisions sit
• Beyond 1,000 the improvement is small unless you are slicing finely

Who answers matters more than how many

Two hundred answers from your most loyal email subscribers tell you about loyal subscribers. For the market, ask people who have never heard of you. That is what a verified panel is for, and why SurveyHood labels every response with its source.

Plan for drop-off

Some people who open a survey will not finish it, and the share grows with every extra minute. Keep surveys under five minutes where you can. On SurveyHood you pay only for approved completes, so drop-outs and screen-outs cost nothing — order the number of completes you actually need for your analysis.