Research-on-research study quantifies how conversational surveys compare to traditional online surveys by measuring participant engagement, data integrity and richness, and AI-driven insights
VANCOUVER, BC and CHICAGO, Ill., Sept. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Rival Technologies and Reach3 Insights have released a new large-scale research-on-research study, The Research on Conversational Research: Why Traditional Surveys are Failing, and What 2,006 People Say Works Instead. Findings reveal that conversational, mobile-first surveys dramatically improve participant experience and data quality compared to traditional online surveys.
“This research validates what we’ve seen in practice for years,” said Jennifer Reid, Co-CEO and Chief Methodologist of Rival Group. “When you make the experience more natural, like the way people actually text and communicate on their phones, they open up and provide more thoughtful responses. You get richer stories, thoughtful answers, and participants who want to come back.”
The study of 2,006 respondents across the U.S. and Canada showed that when research feels like a natural conversation, people share more detail, express greater emotion, and are more likely to participate again in the future.
Key findings in The Research on Conversational Research include:
- Responses up to 8x longer: Open-ended answers were 2.5x longer in chat-based surveys, 5x longer with AI-driven probes, and nearly 8x longer when video was used.
- Higher Thoughtfulness Scores: Using Rival’s proprietary Thoughtfulness Score (a metric that evaluates the relevance, specificity, clarity, and emotional depth of responses), conversational open ends scored 4.95 out of 10, compared to 3.69 for traditional surveys. AI-probed responses reached 6.21, while video responses scored 6.70.
- Better participant experience: Respondents across all age demographics rated conversational surveys higher on engagement (69% vs. 50%), enjoyment (65% vs. 55%), and ease (64% vs. 55%).
- Consistent quant results: Closed-ended measures delivered similar results to traditional surveys with no statistically significant differences, reinforcing that conversational design improves quality without sacrificing rigor.
- Future-proofed for AI: Richer inputs led to more actionable, clearer AI summaries and better training data for emerging synthetic data models.
The full report, available now, outlines best practices for designing mobile-first, conversational research that enhances respondent experience, improves qualitative and quantitative outputs, and fuels smarter AI models.
For more information or to download the study, visit rivaltech.com/conversational or reach3insights.com/conversational.
About Reach3 Insights and Rival Technologies
Reach3 Insights and Rival Technologies are the pioneers in conversational research and the leading authority on insight communities. Rival’s mobile-first, conversational platform helps transform conventional surveys into personalized research experiences that emulate the way people communicate today. Reach3 is an award-winning full-service consulting firm that uses immersive, in-the-moment research designs and dynamic digital storytelling to deliver deep experiential insights. Amplified by AI, Rival and Reach3’s conversational research approach delivers higher response rates, deeper engagement, and faster time-to-insights. To learn why brands like Coca-Cola, Dell Technologies, Kimberly-Clark, and Warner Bros. have made the switch to conversational, please visit rivaltech.com or reach3insights.com.
Contact:
Marie Melsheimer
+1-541-815-3951
[email protected]
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SOURCE Reach3 Insights
