E-mail Survey Response Rates: A Review

Abstract

Electronic mail (e‐mail) has been used to distribute surveys and collect data from online users for almost fifteen years. However, some have suggested that the use of e‐mail is becoming obsolete. This study analyzes response rates to e‐mail surveys undertaken since 1986 and examines five influences to response rates: the year the study was undertaken, the number of questions in the survey, the number of pre‐notification contacts, the number of follow‐up contacts and survey topic salience. Response rates to e‐mail surveys have significantly decreased since 1986. Correlation and regression analyses suggest that year that the survey was undertaken and number of follow‐up contacts had the most influence on response rates. A discussion of other influences and future research into this area is provided.

Indomethacin Use for the Management of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Preterms: A Web-Based Survey of Practice Attitudes Among Neonatal Fellowship Program Directors in the United States

“…The cost involved was only $40 to keep the survey active for 2 months. The response rate we observed is comparable to reported response rates from other Web-based surveys of physicians and surveys involving neonatologists [7,15,36]. Response rates for physician surveys are on average more than 10% lower than those for nonphysician surveys and have declined during the past decade [3,11].…”

“…We selected a Web-based survey mode because of the ability for rapid response, much lower cost compared to postal mail, and reduction of data entry errors [7,36]. The cost involved was only $40 to keep the survey active for 2 months.…”

“…For example, compared to participants who reported use of three courses for persistent PDA, participants who use a maximum of two courses consider a higher threshold level of platelet count as a contraindication to indomethacin therapy. The variation found regarding use of interventions such as low-dose dopamine and furosemide to improve renal function and urine output, respectively, may be explained by inconclusive evidence in the literature [5,8].We selected a Web-based survey mode because of the ability for rapid response, much lower cost compared to postal mail, and reduction of data entry errors [7,36]. The cost involved was only $40 to keep the survey active for 2 months.…”

How to Increase Response Rates When Surveying Hospitality Managers for Curriculum-Related Research: Lessons from Past Studies and Interviews with Lodging Professionals

“…Jobber and Saunders (1993) noted potential respondents in business-oriented studies were more sensitive to survey length than those in consumer studies. Sheehan (2001) however, concluded that there was no correlation between email questionnaire length and response rate. Schaefer and Dillman (1998) identified through a review of past studies that email surveys with a single contact had a response rate of 28.5%.…”

Marginality and Problem-Solving Effectiveness in Broadcast Search

“…Our survey to the 993 individuals that submitted at least one solution to IC resulted in 377 responses of which 320 were complete for our analysis thus yielding a relatively high response rate of 32.2% (Sheehan 2001). The 320 respondents represented 93 (56%) of the 166 broadcast problems during the study period.…”