At its most basic, incidence rate is the percentage of people in a general or panel population who qualify for your study. It's the answer to this question: out of everyone invited to screen for a survey, how many actually fit the target profile?

This number plays a powerful role in market research planning. A low incidence rate means fewer people qualify – meaning you’ll need to invite a lot more people to hit your required sample size. A high incidence rate indicates that your target group is easier to find. Either way, the incidence rate affects cost, time, and feasibility.

Why is incidence rate important?

Understanding incidence rate helps researchers:

• Estimate feasibility: If your target group's incidence is only 5%, you’ll need 20 times the number of completes just to find them.
• Plan sample size: Incidence rate directly affects how many completes you can expect relative to the number of contacts or invites.
• Control budgets: Recruiting low-incidence participants typically involves higher costs, increasing price per complete.
• Avoid delays: Surveys stall when feasibility is low and panels can’t fill quotas fast enough.

What is a good incidence rate for a survey?

While there’s no perfect number, a general guideline is that:

• Above 40% is considered high incidence (broad targeting)
• 20–40% is average (some qualification needed)
• Under 20% is low incidence (specialized targeting)

Low incidence doesn’t mean a study can’t be done – but it calls for careful planning. That’s where experienced professionals, like those in SIVO’s On Demand Talent network, come in. They bring the expertise to refine screening criteria, adjust targeting, and protect research objectives even with tight parameters.

How to calculate incidence rate in market research

It’s typically calculated as:

Incidence Rate (%) = (Number of qualified respondents / Number of total respondents screened) × 100

For example, if 100 people start your screener and only 25 qualify, your incidence rate is 25%.

Why this matters in today’s agile research climate

With more companies leaning into DIY platforms and fast-turn solutions, it’s tempting to launch studies quickly without fully checking feasibility. But without knowing your incidence rate, you risk under-delivery, wasted fieldwork budgets, or respondents who aren't quite your true target.

Using the strength of research fundamentals – like incidence rate – ensures that speed doesn’t sacrifice accuracy. And with flexible access to On Demand Talent, businesses can bring in trained experts who understand how to plan smarter and react quickly when audience challenges arise.

One of the most effective ways to improve survey feasibility and target the right participants is by using Dynata panel profiles. As one of the largest consumer panel providers globally, Dynata offers deep, pre-profiled data on millions of participants – making it easier to target the exact people you need.

What are Dynata panel profiles?

Panel members at Dynata share detailed demographic, behavioral, and sometimes attitudinal information before ever participating in a survey. This pre-existing profile data acts like a head start: instead of having to screen blindly, researchers can pre-select people who meet their criteria.

These profiles include fields like:

• Age, gender, income, location
• Purchase behaviors, category usage (e.g., pet owners, coffee drinkers)
• Lifestyle habits and media usage
• Tech ownership, travel frequency, and more

How does this help predict feasibility?

When designing a survey, accessing Dynata panel profiles allows you to pre-test audience availability and estimate how many people will qualify – even before your screener launches. Combined with incidence rate data, this makes planning far more accurate.

Dynata uses historical response data combined with profile filters to provide realistic feasibility estimates. If you want to reach young mothers in urban areas who shop organic weekly, Dynata can model how many panelists meet that criteria – clarifying if your test plan is realistic given timing and budget.

Using Dynata profiles for smarter survey targeting

Rather than launching a broad screener and discovering low incidence after the fact, panels like Dynata allow you to:

• Tightly target before launch, reducing screening waste
• Pre-select a custom-built sample with higher qualification rates
• Focus on relevant respondents only, improving data quality

By using the right profiles, brands can save time, lower costs, and improve respondent engagement – all critical factors in efficient market research.

When expert help makes the difference

Even with powerful tools, interpreting profile data and adjusting targeting strategy isn’t always straightforward. That’s where SIVO’s On Demand Talent adds real value. These professionals have experience working with Dynata and other major panels, and know how to:

• Balance targeting precision with incidence realities
• Spot potential feasibility blind spots early on
• Adjust sampling design without compromising objectives

Instead of overspending or stalling your study, On Demand insights experts help guide efficient panel use and refine your test plan from the very beginning. Especially for lean or fast-turn teams using self-service tools, this kind of expert input can prevent pitfalls and drive better research outcomes.

As the research world becomes more agile, decision-makers need confidence that their tools and strategies will deliver. Pairing incidence rate insights with the targeting power of Dynata profiles – backed by seasoned On Demand Talent – offers a smarter, more flexible path to meaningful data collection.

Once you understand your survey's incidence rate – the percentage of your target audience present in a larger consumer panel like Dynata – it's much easier to adjust both your sample size and targeting criteria efficiently.

Why does this matter? Because lower incidence rates require increasing your outreach just to achieve the desired number of qualified completes. If only 10% of panelists fit your criteria, you must invite ten times as many people to meet your sample goal compared to a study with a 60% incidence rate.

Planning Sample Size Based on Incidence

Let’s say your test plan calls for 400 completed responses. If your target audience has a 50% incidence rate, you'd need to contact approximately 800 people. But if the incidence drops to 20%, you'd need to reach out to 2,000 instead. That affects timelines, cost, and feasibility.

High Incidence = Faster, More Cost-Effective Collection

Higher incidence rates typically translate to smoother fieldwork and lower costs. With platforms like Dynata panels, researchers can pre-check profile attributes to maximize match rates and reduce the need to over-recruit.

Low Incidence = Requires Strategy Adjustments

If your feasibility checks show a low incidence rate (under 15% is often considered low), you may need to:

• Broaden your audience slightly without compromising the research objective
• Explore blending general consumer panel audiences with niche specialty panels
• Adjust your test plan by prioritizing essential segments over nice-to-have groups

Tools like Dynata’s profiling capabilities make it easier to simulate audience reach and test different targeting definitions before committing to a large-scale fieldwork effort.

Using a feasibility study early in the planning process can pay dividends by preventing costly rework or paused projects down the line. And with complex DIY tools becoming more common, it’s vital to ensure that targeting logic aligns with incidence expectations across every segment.

Even with access to robust platforms like Dynata, navigating incidence rates isn’t always straightforward – especially for complex or niche audiences. This is where expert market researchers can make a major impact.

Why Expertise Matters

Expert researchers bring more than just technical skills. They know how to interpret incidence data, ask the right feasibility questions, and make trade-off decisions that keep your test plan viable while protecting its integrity.

For example, an experienced researcher might recognize that a 10% incidence rate isn’t just a numbers problem – it could signal a need to reframe how the audience is defined or how qualification questions are worded. These nuances often go unnoticed in DIY platforms alone.

Expert Support Helps When:

• The target audience is highly specific, such as users of a certain software or product feature
• Survey quotas are tight and segmentation must be precise
• You’re testing a new market or product and unsure what incidence to expect
• You have only a rough research objective but need help translating it into a testable design

These professionals also help adjust audience definitions and sampling strategies in real time. If incidence results from the Dynata panel aren’t aligning with your plan, they can quickly identify options – whether that's reformulating screeners, altering sample splits, or phasing fieldwork strategically.

Think of them as a bridge between raw data capabilities and a truly insightful survey design. Their job isn’t just to balance the math, but to ensure your test delivers the right data for decision-making.

With the rise of DIY tools and fast-turn research cycles, many organizations find themselves facing a common challenge: The tools are powerful, but not everyone on the team knows how to use them optimally. That’s where bringing in On Demand Talent can be a game-changer.

Bridging Gaps Without Expanding Headcount

SIVO’s On Demand Talent provides access to seasoned consumer insights experts on a flexible basis. These aren’t freelancers or interns learning as they go – they’re professionals who can assess a landscape quickly, align with your goals, and start contributing in days or weeks, not months.

Key Moments to Bring in On Demand Talent:

• You’re using Dynata panel profiles for survey targeting but need deeper help linking incidence rate to your test plan
• Your project has complex segmentation, multiple quotas, or is teetering on feasibility concerns
• You need someone to guide junior staff or teach your team how to calculate incidence rate in market research more effectively
• Your research efforts have grown, but you’re not ready to make a full-time hire

These experts don’t just design surveys – they ensure your test plan is structurally sound, your sampling is aligned with incidence realities, and your fieldwork runs smoothly. That can mean the difference between research that delivers business value versus one that gets rerun or ignored.

In a world where research leaders are being asked to do more with less, On Demand Talent can serve as a vital extension of your team. They help companies confidently navigate DIY tools, complex consumer panels, and high-stakes studies – all while building internal capability along the way.

Whether you're launching a study with tight timelines or need strategic oversight, this flexible model allows you to protect quality, avoid costly mistakes, and accelerate learning – without overcommitting to long-term resources.