Definition
The school survey (skolenkäten) is Skolverket's annual questionnaire sent to students, parents and staff. It measures perceived safety, well-being, study environment, participation and stimulation.
The response rate is the proportion of those surveyed who actually completed the questionnaire. If 100 students were asked and 60 responded, the response rate is 60 %.
Results are published as the share of positive responses (e.g. "85 % of students feel safe"). But this figure is only reliable if enough people responded.
How to interpret
Always check the response rate before interpreting survey results.
| Response rate | Reliability | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| >70 % | Good | Can be compared directly between schools |
| 50–70 % | Acceptable | Compare with caution |
| 30–50 % | Low | Use as indication, not evidence |
| <30 % | Very low | Disregard — selection bias dominates |
Why does it matter? Satisfied and dissatisfied students respond at different rates. With a low response rate, you do not know whether those who did not respond had an entirely different experience — this is called selection bias.
Always compare with the municipal and national averages to put individual school results in context.
Common mistakes
- Interpreting high survey scores without checking the response rate. A school showing 95 % satisfaction with a 25 % response rate could have an entirely different result if everyone had answered.
- Comparing schools with very different response rates. Comparing a school with 90 % response rate against one with 40 % is like comparing apples and oranges — non-response systematically skews results.
- Assuming published results = reality. Survey results are always estimates. The lower the response rate, the greater the uncertainty.
- Ignoring that small schools have naturally higher variation. A small school with 15 respondents can swing dramatically from year to year — even if quality is constant.