Long online-only questionnaire and respondents’ perceived survey burden: findings from the first wave of the UK Generations and Gender Survey (GGS)

As surveys increasingly adopt mixed-mode designs, with self-completion modes playing a key role, questions arise about maintaining data quality, particularly regarding survey length. This study examines whether the relationship between perceived survey burden and length aligns with the ‘longer-is-worse’ hypothesis. Using data from the UK Generations and Gender Survey, featuring a long and complex online-only questionnaire, we assess respondents’ perception of burden. Results demonstrate a clear association between actual and perceived survey duration. However, those who completed the survey quickly were just as likely to perceive it as longer or shorter than expected and were more likely to report it as very or extremely difficult compared with respondents in the median duration group. They were also less likely to consent to future waves. These findings suggest that while longer surveys are not inherently problematic for engaged respondents, other aspects of perceived burden warrant further exploration when designing online surveys.