respondent

Definition of Respondent

(noun) Any individual that answers questions during an interview or replies to a survey.

Examples of Respondent

• Citizens responding to an annual census.
• Students filling out course evaluations at the end of a semester.
  

Respondent Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: re·spon·dent

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /riˈspɑnd(ə)nt/
• British English – /rᵻˈspɒnd(ə)nt/

Usage Notes

• Plural: respondents
• The terms “respondent” and “informant” are often used interchangeably; however they are separate terms. Respondent connotes quantitative research and informant connotes qualitative research.
• A type of ascribed status and individual.
• A respondent (verb) responds with a (noun) response to questions and is a (noun) responder.

Related Quotation

• “[R]esearchers frequently select a representative sample (a small group of respondents) from a larger population (the total group of people) to answer questions about their attitudes, opinions, or behavior” (Kendall 2006:31).

Related Video

Additional Information

• Qualitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Quantitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “respondent” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
• Morse, Janice M. 1991. “Subjects, Respondents, Informants, and Participants?” Qualitative Health Research 1(4):403–406. doi:10.1177/104973239100100401.

Related Terms

• cohort
• data
• hypothesis
• qualitative research
• quantitative research
• reliability
• research
• statistical analysis
• statistics
• study
• survey

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Reference

Kendall, Diana. 2006. Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Works Consulted

Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.

Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Jary, David, and Julia Jary. 2000. Collins Dictionary of Sociology. 3rd ed. Glasgow, Scotland: HarperCollins.

Kendall, Diana. 2011. Sociology in Our Times. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Cite the Definition of Respondent

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “respondent.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved January 20, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/respondent/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

respondent. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/respondent/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “respondent.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed January 20, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/respondent/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“respondent.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/respondent/>.