A salary survey is a structured measurement that captures pay levels across an industry, profession or organisation — and turns the result into a benchmark members can use in salary negotiations to make sure they are compensated fairly for their work and skills. Most large unions in Denmark run salary surveys for their members, and for many of them salary statistics are one of the most popular and valuable services they offer.
This article shows how the Danish Society of Engineers (IDA) reaches a 45% response rate on its salary survey — well above the average — and the six concrete tactics behind that result. Each tactic is documented with the practical mechanism that makes it work.
Highlights
What is salary survey
A salary survey is a structured measurement that captures pay levels and employment terms across an industry, profession or organisation. Salary surveys are most often run by professional associations and unions for their members, who use the resulting statistics as a benchmark in salary negotiations. The instrument also helps employers understand pay trends and compare salary levels across industries, regions and job titles. Effective salary surveys depend on high response rates and clean data — both of which are decided by the design choices made before the questionnaire is sent.
Where do you find out what your peers actually earn?
Pay is often a taboo subject between colleagues — so where do you find out what your peers in the profession actually earn? Most large Danish unions run an annual salary survey of their members' pay, which members can use as a guide in negotiations to make sure they are compensated fairly for their work and skills. The salary statistics are exactly what this article is about — because how do you produce them with the highest possible quality? And how do you secure a high response rate? We answer both questions here.
Why is a salary survey one of the most valuable services a union offers?
A salary survey is a key tool that helps employers and employees understand pay trends and compare salary levels across industries, regions and job titles. For union members, the resulting statistics are a benchmark in salary negotiations — which is why most large Danish unions run salary surveys, and why the statistics consistently rank among the most popular services these unions offer.
The Danish Society of Engineers (IDA) is a strong example of how salary surveys can deliver real value to both organisations and their members. Through a targeted approach, IDA has reached a response rate of up to 45% on its salary surveys in Surveyxact — well above the average for other salary surveys, and a clear sign of IDA's ability to engage and motivate members to participate actively.
Chief Analyst Finn Tidemand from IDA explains that the salary statistics for members have been an integrated part of IDA's work for nearly 70 years. The salary statistics also play an important role in attracting members to the union.
"The salary statistics are one of the member services our members value most, and they rank highest when members assess all the services we as a union deliver to them."
— Finn Tidemand, Chief Analyst, IDA
6 best-practice tactics to boost response rate and improve quality on a salary survey
Below are the central strategies and tactics IDA has put in place to improve the response rate and lift the quality of their salary surveys.
1. Preparation is the key to a strong response rate
You cannot just send an email with a link to your survey and expect people to answer. The key to a high response rate is to take action several weeks before the survey launches and actively build member interest in the salary statistics over a sustained period.
In practice, IDA implements an information campaign as part of their strategy. Warming up participants is essential to creating interest and engagement among the membership. Through a series of newsletters, articles on the IDA website and pieces in the member magazine Ingeniøren, IDA communicates the message about the upcoming salary survey and the salary statistics in general. The proactive communication creates expectation and motivation among members to take part in the survey.
According to Finn Tidemand from IDA, around 70% of the participants who responded to the salary survey the year before also responded again. That suggests members recognise and value the survey as an annual event worth participating in.
2. Target the survey to the right participants
A central part of IDA's strategy is making sure members' information is correct and current before the questionnaire is sent. Through the information campaign, IDA encourages members to update their personal information — employment location, employment type, and similar — before the survey launches. That gives IDA the advantage of having relevant data on hand, and enables a more precise and differentiated distribution.
For example, IDA can tailor the survey to private-sector and public-sector employees separately, which produces more accurate and targeted results. By making sure participants fill in questionnaires that are directly relevant to their employment situation, IDA increases the chance of a higher response rate. Members can see the purpose of the survey in relation to their own work, and are therefore more inclined to participate actively.
3. Remember to remind your participants
In a workday full of emails, tasks and deadlines, it is not unusual for a single email about a salary survey to get deprioritised quickly or lost in the rush. That is why repeated reminders matter.
IDA knows the challenge of catching the participant's attention in a busy day, so they send reminders by both email and SMS over a month-long period. That helps maintain the participant's attention and creates greater awareness of the importance of taking part in the salary survey.
The repeated reminders increase the chance that participants react and take part in the salary survey — which ultimately produces a higher response rate and more reliable data.
4. Split the survey into need-to-know and nice-to-know
When IDA plans the salary survey, they adapt the survey to participants' time constraints and preferences. To do that, IDA splits the salary survey into two parts: a need-to-know section and a nice-to-know section.
In the mandatory need-to-know section, participants are asked to answer questions about their salary and employment terms. This is the essential information IDA needs to gather from every participant in order to produce the various salary-statistics products they offer. The section ensures that even participants with limited time can contribute the essential data points.
In the nice-to-know section, participants are asked to answer additional questions — for example their views on remote work or other topics. This gives participants who want to invest more time the opportunity to share deeper insight and perspective. The differentiated approach ensures that both members with a busy schedule and members who want to engage more feel included and satisfied with the survey.
5. Soft validations in the questionnaire
When you produce statistics, you need good data quality with as few errors as possible. Errors can occur, for example, if participants accidentally enter their annual salary instead of their monthly salary. In that case, IDA includes friendly reminders and clarifying questions in the questionnaire that help participants ensure accuracy.
Another way IDA strengthens data quality is by showing responses from previous surveys. This gives participants the opportunity to compare and validate their own answers, while also reminding them of information they entered previously.
6. Quid pro quo — a thank-you to participants
Without members' willingness to share their salary information, there would be no salary statistics. So to show their appreciation to the members who responded to the survey, IDA wants to give something back to those who took part.
After participants have completed the questionnaire, they receive an email with a personal salary check. The salary check gives them insight into their current pay level and how they sit compared to others in their industry, job type, seniority and so on.
By giving members direct, actionable information about their own pay as a thank-you, IDA strengthens the relationship between the union and its members. It creates a positive cycle of participation and collaboration that benefits both members and IDA as a whole.
Numbers backing this article
Frequently asked questions about salary surveys
What is a salary survey?
A salary survey is a structured measurement that captures pay levels and employment terms across an industry, profession or organisation. Salary surveys are most often run by professional associations and unions for their members, who use the resulting statistics as a benchmark in salary negotiations. The instrument also helps employers understand pay trends and compare salary levels across industries, regions and job titles.
What response rate can you realistically expect on a salary survey?
It varies, but the Danish Society of Engineers (IDA) reaches a response rate of up to 45 % on its salary surveys in Surveyxact — well above the average for salary surveys. The result reflects a deliberate combination of preparation, targeting, reminders, questionnaire design and a personalised thank-you. Each tactic individually lifts the rate by a few percentage points; combined, they produce a step change.
What is the most important factor in a high salary survey response rate?
Preparation. You cannot just send an email with a link and expect people to answer. The key is to take action several weeks before launch and actively build member interest through newsletters, articles in member publications and other communication channels. The proactive build-up creates expectation and motivation — and translates directly into higher response rates when the questionnaire goes out.
Should a salary survey have a need-to-know vs nice-to-know split?
Yes — for most large salary surveys, the split is best practice. A mandatory need-to-know section captures the essential salary and employment data the organisation needs from every respondent. A nice-to-know section asks additional questions, such as views on remote work or other current topics, that engaged respondents are willing to answer. The split protects the response rate on the essential data while still capturing depth where members want to engage.
Why give participants a personalised thank-you after a salary survey?
Because without members' willingness to share their salary information, there would be no salary statistics. A personalised salary check after the questionnaire gives participants direct, actionable information about their own pay — current level, comparison to peers in their industry, job type and seniority — which strengthens the relationship between the union and its members and creates a positive cycle of participation that lifts response rates in subsequent years.
Key takeaways
