The average person wants new and impressive results, but we are most likely not open to doing things differently. That’s why you are likely to be met with raised brows and dismissive comments when you suggest a new approach to solving a problem. You are likely to get “That’s not how we do things here,” and get the idea shut down before you even start. This kind of knee-jerk resistance is a phenomenon known as the Semmelweis Reflex.

Semmelweis Reflex is the intuitive inclination to reject new methods or evidence just because they challenge established norms or long-held beliefs. For surveys, it means that both the researcher and respondents are accustomed to traditional data collection tools, respondent engagement techniques, and analytical approaches, ignoring promising innovative survey designs not because they are ineffective, but because they are unfamiliar.

Understanding the Semmelweis Reflex

The origin of the Semmelweis Reflex stems from the tragic story of Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician in the mid-19th century. Then he was working at the Vienna General Hospital, where he observed that doctors who washed their hands with a chlorinated solution before delivering babies greatly reduced maternal mortality rates that were caused by puerperal fever. 

However, the medical community of the time did not yet recognize germ theory. Rather than embracing his discovery, it was ridiculed and rejected. This led to his professional ostracization and his untimely death in a mental asylum. His work was only vindicated years later, after his death. Louis Pasteur and others confirmed the existence of microorganisms and the importance of antiseptic practices.

Semmelweis Reflex in Everyday Life

Beyond history, the Semmelweis Reflex has shown a specific psychological pattern. It has been shown that the human tendency to favor information confirms existing beliefs. Now, to resist such ideas will disrupt familiar paradigms or the status quo. 

For example, in technology, IT professionals who were deeply invested in traditional on-premises infrastructure were skeptical of cloud computing and showed resistance to adopting it. Only after years of proven performance and market demand did cloud adoption become mainstream. 

In the health sector, there was an initial resistance to telemedicine, which yielded similar results. Despite the advantages in accessibility and cost, several healthcare providers and regulatory bodies were still slow to embrace virtual consultations. It was not until the COVID-19 pandemic forced a spontaneous shift and exhibited its viability.

The rise of online learning platforms was first met with great resistance from traditional institutions in the education sector, too. This questioned their credibility and effectiveness. However, over the years, the data-driven outcomes and learners’ satisfaction began to reshape and change such perceptions.

The Impact of the Semmelweis Reflex on Survey Design

Conservatism is the bedrock for several disciplines, including survey design. For decades, the most widely used methods include Likert scales, fixed-choice questions, and standardized demographic items. Despite the consistency and comparability of these tools, they can still be a bit rigid.

Researchers trying alternative approaches like incorporating open-ended questions, visual scales, or implementing adaptive logic are often met with resistance. This resistance does not always arise from evidence-based critique, but rather from an implicit belief that “what the status quo should not be changed.

This perspective can limit the free flow of insights, particularly in studies. These studies that want to explore complex behaviors, evolving social norms, or culturally diverse populations. In such contexts, traditional methods may fail to capture nuanced perspectives or oversimplify responses.

Innovation in Survey Tools

There are so many innovations to try out in survey design, such as AI-powered analysis, branching logic, dynamic question pathways, and sentiment tracking in real-time.  For example, you can tailor questions based on respondents’ prior responses, providing a more personalized and engaging experience for participants. You can also optimize your survey design for mobile, incorporate multimedia content and response types like audio and video, as well as use gamified elements like immediate scoring to improve user engagement.

However, so many organizations and researchers are slow to adopt these tools. Not because they provide unreliable data, but because they are usually concerned about their comparability. Their comparability with legacy data, increased complexity, or unfamiliarity with new tools. What these organizations fail to notice is the potential benefits.

Practical Example of Semmelweis Reflex

Let’s take a hypothetical example of Dr. Ariana Morris, a behavioral science researcher. She is aiming to study mental health patterns among university students. Rather than deploy a standard, static questionnaire, she proposes using an adaptive survey that tailors its questions based on students’ emotional language in early responses with natural language processing. 

While the version she had in mind demonstrated higher engagement rates and richer data, the academic board overseeing the study rejected it. They citied their concerns over “non-traditional methodology” and “lack of precedent.” They insisted that it should be reverted to a conventional Likert-based format, rather than using a potentially more effective approach in favor of familiarity.

Overcoming the Semmelweis Reflex in Survey Design

• • • Embracing Innovation in Research: You can easily integrate so many innovative approaches to survey design, like gamification, sentiment analysis, or multimedia formats. These methods can help boost your engagement while producing richer and more insightful data.
    • Pilot Testing: Test new survey techniques on a small scale; it can provide evidence of effectiveness and help reduce skepticism. This builds your confidence and improves hesitant stakeholders’ acceptance of your new methods.
    • Educational Approaches: When you can present innovations with clarity, you can make use of case studies, visual comparisons, and data-backed outcomes to educate clients on the practical benefits of using the modern approach.
    • Proven Success Stories: Organizations that have embraced adaptive and AI-powered surveys have reported higher response rates, deeper insights, and better decision-making.

Why You Should Care About Overcoming the Semmelweis Reflex in Your Surveys

• • • Improved Data Quality: New methods can improve your response accuracy, helping you get more reliable data for analysis.
    • Higher Engagement Rates: Innovative designs can reduce fatigue and make surveys more interactive, relevant, and respondent-friendly.
    • Staying Ahead of the Curve: Embracing new helps you stay ahead of the curve in your industry.

Next Steps for Designing Your Surveys

By ditching outdated survey habits, we are able to unlock better data and sharper insights. Using responsive survey features like conditional logic, multiple question types and options e.g media uploads, open-ended questions, and interactive quizzes can turn clunky forms into engaging and insightful conversations.

The best part is that you don’t have to struggle to implement these features. Formplus features provides you with various question types and options allowing you to focus on asking the right questions. This in turn gives room for respondents to express themselves with nuances.

Want to see how it works? Sign up with Formplus, it’s free!