Cooperative Difference Survey
The Cooperative Difference Survey, conducted yearly by Cooperative Insights, is built on over 20 years of insights and continuous enhancement.
This survey provides insight and analysis into members’ satisfaction and can help your cooperative gain a deeper understanding of perceptions about the critical issues impacting cooperatives. It also provides participants with leading metrics, such as an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) score and a Net Promoter Score℠.
Open to all cooperatives nationwide, this annual survey is comprehensive and customizable, providing national benchmarks and serving as a foundation for strategic planning and messaging. Approximately 40-60 cooperatives participate each year, and special considerations and customizations are available for G&Ts and Statewides.
Explore the Cooperative Difference Survey
Survey Overview
Findings in the Cooperative Difference Survey are designed to be both timely and actionable. The 2026 Cooperative Difference Survey provides insight into satisfaction and loyalty, and integrates new research on issues impacting cooperatives right now, including:
- Building trust in an era of rising costs and AI
- Concerns and priorities for electricity, including large loads/data centers
- Awareness and importance of aspects of the cooperative difference
- Performance in key areas driving satisfaction
- Brand attribute perceptions
- Preferences for energy management and resources
- Outage communication
- … and more!
Plus, your cooperative can add up to five complementary custom questions on topics of your choice.
Designed for and by cooperatives, the survey uses leading and best practices to ensure data accuracy. All surveys are conducted online. Cooperatives can choose their participation level at 250 or 400 interviews.
Our process ensures that respondents reflect all age groups within your membership, providing clearer insights into the perceptions of young members – a key segment as we seek to raise member satisfaction and engagement.
Participating cooperatives receive:
- A co-op-specific report featuring results, analysis, national benchmarks and metrics including an ACSI® score and NPS℠
- Verbatim comments from members
- A list of members who requested follow-up from the cooperative
- Materials, including social media posts, graphics and newsletter article templates, that can be customized to promote awareness of the survey
- Raw data files for visualization tools, like Power BI (upon request)
Cost is based on the quota of respondents, either 250 or 400.
Discounts are available for cooperatives in states with five or more participating cooperatives. Special programming and customizations, as well as bulk discounts, are available to G&Ts and Statewides.
Contact us for more information and options.
- End of April: Registration deadline for the survey.
- May-June: Data collection occurs across all participating cooperatives. Online data collection for individual cooperatives takes approximately 2-4 weeks, depending on member response. Cooperative Insights will provide a specific timetable of when your survey will be in the field.
- August: Reports are delivered.
G&Ts and Statewides
The Cooperative Difference Survey provides unparalleled accuracy for aggregate groups seeking new ways to support their members and understand consumers in their service territory. Designed to be turnkey and comprehensive, the survey is also customizable for multi-cooperative participants. Contact us for information about discounts and the opportunity for an aggregate report.
*ACSI is a registered trademark of the American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC. For more information, visit theacsi.org.