Creating a sampling plan is one of the most vital steps toward getting quality data. Your total sample size—the number of completes you order—is set on the Target Market page, and you can adjust it at any point while your survey is still in draft.
In This Article
- How Many Completes Do I Need?
- Sample Size for Panel Surveys
- Sample Size for List Surveys
- Still Not Sure?
How Many Completes Do I Need?
The market research industry standard for statistically significant data is a minimum of 400 respondents. With aytm you also have the freedom to decide what's right for your study—you can field to as few as 50 respondents for a directional read, or up to 10,000 for a high-resolution study.
| Sample size | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| 50–399 | A directional study. Useful for early reads and internal gut checks, but below the industry standard for statistical significance. |
| 400 | The industry-standard minimum for statistically significant data at the total level. |
| 400–10,000 | A high-resolution study. The larger your N, the more confidently you can read smaller subgroups and cells. |
💡 Tip: Size your sample around the smallest group you plan to report on, not the total. If you need to read a segment that's 25% of your audience, a total of N400 leaves you with roughly N100 in that cell.
Sample Size for Panel Surveys
For a Panel Survey, aytm supplies the respondents, and you can order between 50 and 10,000 completes.
- At the bottom of the Target Market page, drag the Total Sample size (N): slider to order between 50 and 10,000 completes, or type your number into the text box to the right of the slider.
Sample Size for List Surveys
For a List Survey, you supply your own respondents, so the slider starts at 1.
- At the bottom of the Target Market page, drag the Number of Completes slider to order between 1 and 5,000 completes, or type your number into the text box to the right of the slider.
- To order additional completes up to 10,000, type directly into the text box.
⚠️ Note: On List Surveys, completes ordered beyond the 5,000 slider maximum are charged per completion.
Still Not Sure?
If you'd like a second opinion on your sampling plan, email support@aytm.com or click Chat with us at the top of the page to start a conversation.
Learn more about best practices for survey sample and screening design in the Lighthouse Academy!
