Mail surveys are much less costly to conduct than telephone surveys or in‐person surveys and therefore are an attractive method of data collection for researchers. However, in general, mailed surveys have suffered from low response rates which limits their applicability. Extensive research conducted over the past few decades has documented a variety of procedural elements, which if followed, can overcome low response rates. In addition to postage‐paid return envelopes, strong respondent letters, and clear promises of respondent confidentiality or anonymity, the two most important procedures to incorporate in the study design are using as many as three reminders and including financial incentives for participation. Additional elements such as personalization, prenotification, modest length, and utilization of soft deadlines also have been shown to increase response rates slightly. By following these procedures, data collected through mail surveys can be as valid as data collected through telephone or in‐person methods.
Mail surveys are much less costly to conduct than telephone surveys or in‐person surveys and therefore are an attractive method of data collection for researchers. However, in general, mailed surveys have suffered from low response rates which limits their applicability. Extensive research conducted over the past few decades has documented a variety of procedural elements, which if followed, can overcome low response rates. In addition to postage‐paid return envelopes, strong respondent letters, and clear promises of respondent confidentiality or anonymity, the two most important procedures to incorporate in the study design are using as many as three reminders and including financial incentives for participation. Additional elements such as personalization, prenotification, modest length, and utilization of soft deadlines also have been shown to increase response rates slightly. By following these procedures, data collected through mail surveys can be as valid as data collected through telephone or in‐person methods.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.