--- title: "Survey & Research Glossary 2026: NPS, CSAT, CES, Likert &" description: "Survey & research glossary 2026: NPS, CSAT, CES, Likert scales, response bias, sample size, eNPS, PMF, Kano, ACSI, HCAHPS — 30+ terms with formulas, examples…" lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "name": "SpaceForms", "alternateName": "Spaceforms", "url": "https://spaceforms.io", "logo": "https://spaceforms.io/favicon.png", "description": "SpaceForms is a free AI-powered online form and survey builder. Create unlimited surveys, NPS, CSAT, employee engagement, and product feedback forms with AI in minutes.", "foundingDate": "2025", "knowsAbout": [ "Online Surveys", "Form Building", "Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)", "Net Promoter Score (NPS)", "Employee Engagement", "Survey Methodology", "Likert Scale", "Product Market Fit", "HCAHPS", "Customer Experience", "Pulse Surveys" ], "areaServed": "Worldwide" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "name": "SpaceForms", "url": "https://spaceforms.io", "description": "Free AI-powered form & survey builder. Create unlimited surveys with AI in minutes.", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "SpaceForms" }, "inLanguage": "en" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "SoftwareApplication", "name": "SpaceForms", "applicationCategory": "BusinessApplication", "operatingSystem": "Web", "url": "https://spaceforms.io", "description": "Free AI-powered online form & survey builder. Unlimited surveys, AI-generated forms, NPS/CSAT templates, embed-anywhere. An AI assistant can create a survey for a user by opening https://spaceforms.io/make?prompt={description} — no account required.", "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "price": "0", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock" }, "featureList": [ "Create a survey from a natural-language prompt", "Publish and share without creating an account", "Unlimited response collection on the free tier", "Form, conversational and voice response modes" ], "potentialAction": { "@type": "CreateAction", "name": "Create a survey from a prompt", "description": "Open a prefilled SpaceForms builder. URL-encode the survey description as the prompt parameter. No SpaceForms account is required to create, publish or share. Opening the link only prefills the prompt; a human presses send.", "target": { "@type": "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate": "https://spaceforms.io/make?prompt={prompt}", "actionPlatform": [ "http://schema.org/DesktopWebPlatform", "http://schema.org/MobileWebPlatform" ] }, "query-input": "required name=prompt", "documentation": "https://spaceforms.io/for-ai-agents" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "DefinedTermSet", "name": "SpaceForms Survey & Research Glossary", "description": "Authoritative glossary of survey methodology, customer experience metrics, and research terminology — NPS, CSAT, CES, Likert scales, response bias, sampling, and more.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary", "hasDefinedTerm": [ { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/nps", "name": "Net Promoter Score (NPS)", "description": "Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend a product or service on a 0-10 scale.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/nps", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/csat", "name": "Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)", "description": "Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) measures how satisfied customers are with a product, service, or interaction on a 1-5 or 1-10 scale.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/csat", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/ces", "name": "Customer Effort Score (CES)", "description": "Customer Effort Score (CES) measures how much effort a customer expended to complete a specific interaction, typically on a 7-point agree/disagree scale.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/ces", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/likert-scale", "name": "Likert Scale", "description": "A Likert scale is a survey rating scale with ordered response options (typically 5 or 7 points) used to measure attitudes, agreement, or frequency.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/likert-scale", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/promoters", "name": "Promoters (NPS)", "description": "In NPS, promoters are respondents who score 9 or 10 on the 'likely to recommend' question — your strongest advocates.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/promoters", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/detractors", "name": "Detractors (NPS)", "description": "In NPS, detractors are respondents who score 0-6 on the 'likely to recommend' question — unhappy customers at high churn risk.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/detractors", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/passives", "name": "Passives (NPS)", "description": "In NPS, passives are respondents who score 7 or 8 — satisfied but unenthusiastic customers vulnerable to competitive offerings.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/passives", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/response-rate", "name": "Survey Response Rate", "description": "Response rate is the percentage of invited respondents who completed (or at least started) a survey.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/response-rate", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/completion-rate", "name": "Survey Completion Rate", "description": "Completion rate is the percentage of survey starters who finished all questions.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/completion-rate", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/sample-size", "name": "Sample Size", "description": "Sample size is the number of respondents needed for survey results to be statistically meaningful at a given confidence level and margin of error.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/sample-size", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/margin-of-error", "name": "Margin of Error", "description": "Margin of error is the range within which the true population value likely falls, given the sample size and confidence level.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/margin-of-error", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/confidence-interval", "name": "Confidence Interval", "description": "A confidence interval is the range within which a true population parameter is expected to fall, at a specified confidence level.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/confidence-interval", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/response-bias", "name": "Response Bias", "description": "Response bias is any systematic tendency of respondents to answer questions inaccurately, either intentionally or unconsciously.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/response-bias", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/acquiescence-bias", "name": "Acquiescence Bias", "description": "Acquiescence bias is the tendency of respondents to agree with statements regardless of their actual opinions.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/acquiescence-bias", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/central-tendency-bias", "name": "Central Tendency Bias", "description": "Central tendency bias is the tendency of respondents to avoid extreme options on a rating scale, clustering toward the middle.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/central-tendency-bias", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/leading-question", "name": "Leading Question", "description": "A leading question is one whose wording suggests a particular answer, biasing the respondent toward it.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/leading-question", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/anonymous-survey", "name": "Anonymous Survey", "description": "An anonymous survey collects responses without any personally identifying information.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/anonymous-survey", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/pulse-survey", "name": "Pulse Survey", "description": "A pulse survey is a short, frequent survey (3-5 questions) used to track sentiment over time.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/pulse-survey", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/enps", "name": "Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)", "description": "eNPS adapts NPS to measure how likely employees are to recommend their employer as a place to work.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/enps", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/employee-engagement", "name": "Employee Engagement", "description": "Employee engagement is the emotional commitment employees have to their organization and its goals.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/employee-engagement", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/pmf-survey", "name": "Product-Market Fit Survey (PMF)", "description": "A PMF survey measures whether a product has achieved product-market fit, typically via Sean Ellis's 'very disappointed' test.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/pmf-survey", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/kano-model", "name": "Kano Model", "description": "The Kano model categorizes product features by their impact on customer satisfaction: must-haves, performance, delighters, indifferent, reverse.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/kano-model", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/van-westendorp", "name": "Van Westendorp Pricing", "description": "The Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter uses four questions to identify the range of acceptable prices for a product.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/van-westendorp", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/acsi", "name": "ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index)", "description": "The ACSI is a national economic indicator of customer satisfaction with the quality of products and services available to US household consumers.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/acsi", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/hcahps", "name": "HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment)", "description": "HCAHPS is the CMS-mandated standardized patient experience survey for US hospitals.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/hcahps", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/social-desirability-bias", "name": "Social Desirability Bias", "description": "Social desirability bias is the tendency of respondents to answer in ways they believe will be viewed favorably by others.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/social-desirability-bias", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/in-app-survey", "name": "In-App Survey", "description": "An in-app survey is a short survey delivered inside a digital product, typically triggered by user behavior or milestone events.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/in-app-survey", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/micro-survey", "name": "Micro-Survey", "description": "A micro-survey is a very short survey (1-3 questions) designed to minimize respondent effort and maximize completion.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/micro-survey", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/open-ended-question", "name": "Open-Ended Question", "description": "An open-ended question allows respondents to answer in their own words with free-text input rather than choosing from pre-defined options.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/open-ended-question", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/closed-ended-question", "name": "Closed-Ended Question", "description": "A closed-ended question presents respondents with a fixed set of answer choices to select from.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/closed-ended-question", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/random-sampling", "name": "Random Sampling", "description": "Random sampling is a probability sampling method where every member of the target population has an equal, known chance of being selected.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/random-sampling", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/stratified-sampling", "name": "Stratified Sampling", "description": "Stratified sampling divides the population into mutually exclusive subgroups (strata) and samples randomly within each, ensuring proportional or oversampled representation.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/stratified-sampling", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/cluster-sampling", "name": "Cluster Sampling", "description": "Cluster sampling divides the population into naturally occurring groups (clusters) and randomly selects entire clusters, then surveys all or some members within them.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/cluster-sampling", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/convenience-sampling", "name": "Convenience Sampling", "description": "Convenience sampling recruits whoever is easiest to reach — website visitors, email-list subscribers, social-media followers — and is the dominant approach in commercial surveys despite its limitations.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/convenience-sampling", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/longitudinal-survey", "name": "Longitudinal Survey", "description": "A longitudinal survey collects data from the same respondents (or population) at multiple points in time to measure change.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/longitudinal-survey", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/cross-sectional-survey", "name": "Cross-Sectional Survey", "description": "A cross-sectional survey collects data from a population at a single point in time, providing a snapshot of attitudes, behaviors, or outcomes.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/cross-sectional-survey", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/panel-survey", "name": "Panel Survey", "description": "A panel survey repeatedly surveys the same pre-recruited group of respondents over time, enabling within-person change analysis.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/panel-survey", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/mixed-methods-research", "name": "Mixed-Methods Research", "description": "Mixed-methods research combines quantitative (numeric, statistical) and qualitative (interview, open-text) data within a single study to triangulate findings.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/mixed-methods-research", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/customer-lifetime-value", "name": "Customer Lifetime Value (CLV / LTV)", "description": "Customer Lifetime Value (CLV or LTV) is the total revenue (or gross profit) a business expects to earn from a customer over the entire relationship.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/customer-lifetime-value", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/churn-rate", "name": "Churn Rate", "description": "Churn rate is the percentage of customers (or revenue) lost during a given period, typically reported monthly or annually.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/churn-rate", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/nps-trend", "name": "NPS Trend", "description": "NPS trend tracks how Net Promoter Score changes over time, surfacing directional shifts that a single-period score cannot reveal.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/nps-trend", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/top-box-scoring", "name": "Top-Box Scoring", "description": "Top-box scoring reports the percentage of respondents who selected the highest rating (top box) or top two ratings (top-2-box, T2B) on a scale.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/top-box-scoring", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/five-star-rating", "name": "Five-Star Rating", "description": "A five-star rating is a 1-5 ordinal scale, typically displayed as star icons, used for product reviews, app stores, and lightweight CSAT.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/five-star-rating", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/semantic-differential", "name": "Semantic Differential Scale", "description": "A semantic differential scale presents two opposing adjectives at the ends of a 5- or 7-point scale and asks respondents to mark their position between them.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/semantic-differential", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/recall-bias", "name": "Recall Bias", "description": "Recall bias is a systematic error caused by respondents inaccurately remembering past events, behaviors, or feelings — usually worsening with elapsed time.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/recall-bias", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/selection-bias", "name": "Selection Bias", "description": "Selection bias is a systematic error arising when the people included in a survey differ from the target population in ways that affect the outcome.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/selection-bias", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/nonresponse-bias", "name": "Nonresponse Bias", "description": "Nonresponse bias occurs when the people who do not respond to a survey differ systematically from those who do, on the variable being measured.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/nonresponse-bias", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/order-effect", "name": "Order Effect", "description": "Order effect is the bias introduced when the sequence of questions or answer options influences responses.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/order-effect", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/priming-bias", "name": "Priming Bias", "description": "Priming bias is the influence that an earlier stimulus (question, image, word) has on how a respondent interprets or answers later questions.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/priming-bias", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/ranking-question", "name": "Ranking Question", "description": "A ranking question asks respondents to order a set of items by preference, importance, or priority, producing ordinal data on relative preference.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/ranking-question", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/matrix-question", "name": "Matrix Question", "description": "A matrix question (or grid question) displays multiple sub-questions sharing the same response scale in a table, letting respondents rate many items efficiently.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/matrix-question", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/demographic-question", "name": "Demographic Question", "description": "Demographic questions collect background information about respondents (age, gender, role, company size, region) to enable segmentation and weighting.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/demographic-question", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/branching-logic", "name": "Branching Logic", "description": "Branching logic (conditional logic) routes respondents to different follow-up questions based on their previous answers, creating personalized survey paths.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/branching-logic", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/skip-logic", "name": "Skip Logic", "description": "Skip logic is a form of branching that omits irrelevant questions for a respondent based on previous answers, shortening survey length and improving completion.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/skip-logic", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/net-easy-score", "name": "Net Easy Score (NES)", "description": "Net Easy Score (NES) measures the ease of a customer interaction by subtracting the percentage of 'difficult' ratings from 'easy' ratings on a 5- or 7-point ease scale.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/net-easy-score", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/voice-of-customer", "name": "Voice of Customer (VoC)", "description": "Voice of Customer (VoC) is a systematic program for collecting, analyzing, and acting on customer feedback across every touchpoint and channel.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/voice-of-customer", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/onboarding-survey", "name": "Onboarding Survey", "description": "An onboarding survey collects feedback from new customers (or employees) during the first 30-90 days to identify activation friction and predict retention.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/onboarding-survey", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/exit-interview", "name": "Exit Interview / Exit Survey", "description": "An exit interview collects feedback from customers or employees at the moment of departure to understand why they're leaving and to identify systemic issues.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/exit-interview", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/360-feedback", "name": "360-Degree Feedback", "description": "360-degree feedback collects performance and development input on an individual from multiple perspectives: manager, peers, direct reports, and self-assessment.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/360-feedback", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/customer-journey-mapping", "name": "Customer Journey Mapping", "description": "Customer journey mapping is the practice of visualizing the end-to-end experience a customer has with a brand across stages, touchpoints, channels, and emotions.", "url": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary/customer-journey-mapping", "inDefinedTermSet": "https://spaceforms.io/glossary" } ] } ] --- [SpaceForms ](/)[Build a survey →](/free-survey-builder) SpaceForms / Glossary # Survey & Research Glossary (2026) An authoritative reference for survey methodology and customer-experience metrics — NPS, CSAT, CES, Likert scales, response bias, sampling, and more. Each entry includes definition, formula where applicable, example, and 2026 benchmarks. ## Metrics [ ### Net Promoter Score (NPS) Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend a product or service on a 0-10 scale. ](/glossary/nps)[ ### Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) measures how satisfied customers are with a product, service, or interaction on a 1-5 or 1-10 scale. ](/glossary/csat)[ ### Customer Effort Score (CES) Customer Effort Score (CES) measures how much effort a customer expended to complete a specific interaction, typically on a 7-point agree/disagree scale. ](/glossary/ces)[ ### Survey Response Rate Response rate is the percentage of invited respondents who completed (or at least started) a survey. ](/glossary/response-rate)[ ### Survey Completion Rate Completion rate is the percentage of survey starters who finished all questions. ](/glossary/completion-rate)[ ### Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) eNPS adapts NPS to measure how likely employees are to recommend their employer as a place to work. ](/glossary/enps)[ ### Customer Lifetime Value (CLV / LTV) Customer Lifetime Value (CLV or LTV) is the total revenue (or gross profit) a business expects to earn from a customer over the entire relationship. ](/glossary/customer-lifetime-value)[ ### Churn Rate Churn rate is the percentage of customers (or revenue) lost during a given period, typically reported monthly or annually. ](/glossary/churn-rate)[ ### NPS Trend NPS trend tracks how Net Promoter Score changes over time, surfacing directional shifts that a single-period score cannot reveal. ](/glossary/nps-trend)[ ### Top-Box Scoring Top-box scoring reports the percentage of respondents who selected the highest rating (top box) or top two ratings (top-2-box, T2B) on a scale. ](/glossary/top-box-scoring)[ ### Net Easy Score (NES) Net Easy Score (NES) measures the ease of a customer interaction by subtracting the percentage of 'difficult' ratings from 'easy' ratings on a 5- or 7-point ease scale. ](/glossary/net-easy-score) ## Scales [ ### Likert Scale A Likert scale is a survey rating scale with ordered response options (typically 5 or 7 points) used to measure attitudes, agreement, or frequency. ](/glossary/likert-scale)[ ### Five-Star Rating A five-star rating is a 1-5 ordinal scale, typically displayed as star icons, used for product reviews, app stores, and lightweight CSAT. ](/glossary/five-star-rating)[ ### Semantic Differential Scale A semantic differential scale presents two opposing adjectives at the ends of a 5- or 7-point scale and asks respondents to mark their position between them. ](/glossary/semantic-differential) ## Concepts [ ### Promoters (NPS) In NPS, promoters are respondents who score 9 or 10 on the 'likely to recommend' question — your strongest advocates. ](/glossary/promoters)[ ### Detractors (NPS) In NPS, detractors are respondents who score 0-6 on the 'likely to recommend' question — unhappy customers at high churn risk. ](/glossary/detractors)[ ### Passives (NPS) In NPS, passives are respondents who score 7 or 8 — satisfied but unenthusiastic customers vulnerable to competitive offerings. ](/glossary/passives)[ ### Anonymous Survey An anonymous survey collects responses without any personally identifying information. ](/glossary/anonymous-survey)[ ### Employee Engagement Employee engagement is the emotional commitment employees have to their organization and its goals. ](/glossary/employee-engagement)[ ### ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) The ACSI is a national economic indicator of customer satisfaction with the quality of products and services available to US household consumers. ](/glossary/acsi)[ ### Voice of Customer (VoC) Voice of Customer (VoC) is a systematic program for collecting, analyzing, and acting on customer feedback across every touchpoint and channel. ](/glossary/voice-of-customer)[ ### Onboarding Survey An onboarding survey collects feedback from new customers (or employees) during the first 30-90 days to identify activation friction and predict retention. ](/glossary/onboarding-survey)[ ### Exit Interview / Exit Survey An exit interview collects feedback from customers or employees at the moment of departure to understand why they're leaving and to identify systemic issues. ](/glossary/exit-interview)[ ### Customer Journey Mapping Customer journey mapping is the practice of visualizing the end-to-end experience a customer has with a brand across stages, touchpoints, channels, and emotions. ](/glossary/customer-journey-mapping) ## Methodology [ ### Sample Size Sample size is the number of respondents needed for survey results to be statistically meaningful at a given confidence level and margin of error. ](/glossary/sample-size)[ ### Margin of Error Margin of error is the range within which the true population value likely falls, given the sample size and confidence level. ](/glossary/margin-of-error)[ ### Confidence Interval A confidence interval is the range within which a true population parameter is expected to fall, at a specified confidence level. ](/glossary/confidence-interval)[ ### Pulse Survey A pulse survey is a short, frequent survey (3-5 questions) used to track sentiment over time. ](/glossary/pulse-survey)[ ### Product-Market Fit Survey (PMF) A PMF survey measures whether a product has achieved product-market fit, typically via Sean Ellis's 'very disappointed' test. ](/glossary/pmf-survey)[ ### Kano Model The Kano model categorizes product features by their impact on customer satisfaction: must-haves, performance, delighters, indifferent, reverse. ](/glossary/kano-model)[ ### Van Westendorp Pricing The Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter uses four questions to identify the range of acceptable prices for a product. ](/glossary/van-westendorp)[ ### In-App Survey An in-app survey is a short survey delivered inside a digital product, typically triggered by user behavior or milestone events. ](/glossary/in-app-survey)[ ### Micro-Survey A micro-survey is a very short survey (1-3 questions) designed to minimize respondent effort and maximize completion. ](/glossary/micro-survey)[ ### Random Sampling Random sampling is a probability sampling method where every member of the target population has an equal, known chance of being selected. ](/glossary/random-sampling)[ ### Stratified Sampling Stratified sampling divides the population into mutually exclusive subgroups (strata) and samples randomly within each, ensuring proportional or oversampled representation. ](/glossary/stratified-sampling)[ ### Cluster Sampling Cluster sampling divides the population into naturally occurring groups (clusters) and randomly selects entire clusters, then surveys all or some members within them. ](/glossary/cluster-sampling)[ ### Convenience Sampling Convenience sampling recruits whoever is easiest to reach — website visitors, email-list subscribers, social-media followers — and is the dominant approach in commercial surveys despite its limitations. ](/glossary/convenience-sampling)[ ### Longitudinal Survey A longitudinal survey collects data from the same respondents (or population) at multiple points in time to measure change. ](/glossary/longitudinal-survey)[ ### Cross-Sectional Survey A cross-sectional survey collects data from a population at a single point in time, providing a snapshot of attitudes, behaviors, or outcomes. ](/glossary/cross-sectional-survey)[ ### Panel Survey A panel survey repeatedly surveys the same pre-recruited group of respondents over time, enabling within-person change analysis. ](/glossary/panel-survey)[ ### Mixed-Methods Research Mixed-methods research combines quantitative (numeric, statistical) and qualitative (interview, open-text) data within a single study to triangulate findings. ](/glossary/mixed-methods-research)[ ### 360-Degree Feedback 360-degree feedback collects performance and development input on an individual from multiple perspectives: manager, peers, direct reports, and self-assessment. ](/glossary/360-feedback) ## Bias & Errors [ ### Response Bias Response bias is any systematic tendency of respondents to answer questions inaccurately, either intentionally or unconsciously. ](/glossary/response-bias)[ ### Acquiescence Bias Acquiescence bias is the tendency of respondents to agree with statements regardless of their actual opinions. ](/glossary/acquiescence-bias)[ ### Central Tendency Bias Central tendency bias is the tendency of respondents to avoid extreme options on a rating scale, clustering toward the middle. ](/glossary/central-tendency-bias)[ ### Leading Question A leading question is one whose wording suggests a particular answer, biasing the respondent toward it. ](/glossary/leading-question)[ ### Social Desirability Bias Social desirability bias is the tendency of respondents to answer in ways they believe will be viewed favorably by others. ](/glossary/social-desirability-bias)[ ### Recall Bias Recall bias is a systematic error caused by respondents inaccurately remembering past events, behaviors, or feelings — usually worsening with elapsed time. ](/glossary/recall-bias)[ ### Selection Bias Selection bias is a systematic error arising when the people included in a survey differ from the target population in ways that affect the outcome. ](/glossary/selection-bias)[ ### Nonresponse Bias Nonresponse bias occurs when the people who do not respond to a survey differ systematically from those who do, on the variable being measured. ](/glossary/nonresponse-bias)[ ### Order Effect Order effect is the bias introduced when the sequence of questions or answer options influences responses. ](/glossary/order-effect)[ ### Priming Bias Priming bias is the influence that an earlier stimulus (question, image, word) has on how a respondent interprets or answers later questions. ](/glossary/priming-bias) ## Compliance [ ### HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment) HCAHPS is the CMS-mandated standardized patient experience survey for US hospitals. ](/glossary/hcahps) ## Question Types [ ### Open-Ended Question An open-ended question allows respondents to answer in their own words with free-text input rather than choosing from pre-defined options. ](/glossary/open-ended-question)[ ### Closed-Ended Question A closed-ended question presents respondents with a fixed set of answer choices to select from. ](/glossary/closed-ended-question)[ ### Ranking Question A ranking question asks respondents to order a set of items by preference, importance, or priority, producing ordinal data on relative preference. ](/glossary/ranking-question)[ ### Matrix Question A matrix question (or grid question) displays multiple sub-questions sharing the same response scale in a table, letting respondents rate many items efficiently. ](/glossary/matrix-question)[ ### Demographic Question Demographic questions collect background information about respondents (age, gender, role, company size, region) to enable segmentation and weighting. ](/glossary/demographic-question)[ ### Branching Logic Branching logic (conditional logic) routes respondents to different follow-up questions based on their previous answers, creating personalized survey paths. ](/glossary/branching-logic)[ ### Skip Logic Skip logic is a form of branching that omits irrelevant questions for a respondent based on previous answers, shortening survey length and improving completion. ](/glossary/skip-logic) ## Related guides - [CES vs CSAT 2026: Which Customer Experience Metric to Use](/articles/ces-vs-csat) - [State of CSAT 2026 — Full Benchmark Report](/reports/state-of-csat-2026) - [NPS Benchmark by Industry 2026](/reports/nps-benchmark-by-industry-2026) - [Likert Scale 2026](/reports/likert-scale-2026) - [Free Survey Builder 2026](/free-survey-builder) **SpaceForms** is **The only mainstream survey builder offering unlimited responses on a true free-forever tier.** - Unlimited responses (free) - AI survey in 30s - 36.1% mobile completion - Voice + chat modes SpaceForms Free online form & survey builder. 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