Low‑panel cumulative response matters

Survey panels can report respectable per‑wave response rates while hiding extremely low cumulative recruitment/retention (this report lists a 2% cumulative rate). Low cumulative response concentrates selection bias risk, particularly when studies rely on oversamples to estimate small‑group attitudes (e.g., single Black adults). Policymakers and journalists citing subgroup survey findings need the cumulative recruitment metric to judge external validity. — If panel cumulative response is tiny, public claims drawn from panel subsamples (even with oversamples) may be less representative than reported, affecting debates that rely on those findings.