Personalization of Mail Surveys for General Public and Populations with a Group Identity: Results from Nine Studies*

Dillman, Don A.; Lesser, Virginia M.; Mason, Robert T.; Carlson, John E.; Willits, Fern K.; Robertson, Rob; Burke, Bryan L.

doi:10.1526/003601107782638693

Cited by 31 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Of the remaining surveys, 632 were returned, resulting in a 33.0% response rate. While response rates are expected to vary based on the research population, survey methods used, and other variables (Babbie 2001;Dillman et al 2007), the 33.0% response rate for this study may be considered relatively low.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Test of Contextual Theory: The Relationship Among Relational Ethics, Marital Satisfaction, Health Problems, and Depression

et al. 2008

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Few studies have examined the theoretical underpinning of contextual theory. Using structural equation modeling, the relationship among relational ethics (recognized as the most important aspect of contextual theory), marital satisfaction, depression, and illness was examined. Data came from a national sample of 632 mid-life, married individuals. Results supported Nagy's contextual theory. The total score of the Relational Ethics Scale was a significant predictor of marital satisfaction, and marital satisfaction was significantly associated with depression and health problems. Vertical and horizontal subscales of relational ethics also were significant predictors of depression and health problems through the mediating variable of marital satisfaction.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Test of Contextual Theory: The Relationship Among Relational Ethics, Marital Satisfaction, Health Problems, and Depression

et al. 2008

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“…Another analysis of 17 comparisons involving the general public in the US found a modest benefit of personalisation on mail survey response rates with greater effects apparent in rural areas [23]. Personalisation of email invitations for internet surveys has been reported to increase response rates in a number of groups including university students [24,25] and scientists and engineers [26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of response rates and cost-effectiveness for a community-based survey: postal, internet and telephone modes with generic or personalised recruitment approaches

Sinclair

O'Toole

Malawaraarachchi

et al. 2012

BMC Med Res Methodol

275

192

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BackgroundEpidemiological research often requires collection of data from a representative sample of the community or recruitment of specific groups through broad community approaches. The population coverage of traditional survey methods such as mail-outs to residential addresses, and telephone contact via public directories or random-digit-dialing is declining and survey response rates are falling. There is a need to explore new sampling frames and consider multiple response modes including those offered by changes in telecommunications and internet technology.MethodsWe evaluated response rates and cost-effectiveness for three modes of survey administration (postal invitation/postal survey, postal invitation/internet survey and postal invitation/telephone survey) and two styles of contact approach (personalised and generic) in a community survey of greywater use. Potential respondents were contacted only once, with no follow up of non-responders.ResultsThe telephone survey produced the highest adjusted response rate (30.2%), followed by the personalised postal survey (10.5%), generic postal survey (7.5%) and then the internet survey (4.7% for the personalised approach and 2.2% for the generic approach). There were some differences in household characteristics and greywater use rates between respondents to different survey modes, and between respondents to personalised and generic approaches. These may be attributable to the differing levels of motivations needed for a response, and varying levels of interest in the survey topic among greywater users and non-users. The generic postal survey had the lowest costs per valid survey received (Australian $22.93), followed by the personalised postal survey ($24.75).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that postal surveys currently remain the most economic option for population-based studies, with similar costs for personalised and generic approaches. Internet surveys may be effective for specialised groups where email lists are available for initial contact, but barriers other than household internet access still exist for community-based surveys. Given the increasing recruitment challenges facing community-based studies, there is an imperative to gather contemporary comparative data on different survey modes and recruitment approaches in order to determine their strengths, limitations and costs. Researchers also need to document and report on the potential biases in the target and respondent populations and how this may affect the data collected.

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“…The same distribution methods will be used in the second administration of the national survey to ensure validity and reliability. [26][27][28][29] In addition, results of the second survey also will provide further evidence of the reliability of this survey instrument. We also will have the ability to match respondent's responses to the first survey with their responses to the second survey through unique identification numbers for key questions where the answers would be expected to be the same, thus allowing us to examine the retest reliability of these questions, which will be reported with our final results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The first Australian nurse practitioner census: A protocol to guide standardized collection of information about an emergent professional group

Middleton

Gardner

et al. 2010

Int J of Nursing Practice

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Internationally, collection of reliable data on new and evolving health-care roles is crucial. We describe a protocol for design and administration of a national census of an emergent health-care role, namely nurse practitioners in Australia using databases held by regulatory authorities. A questionnaire was developed to obtain data on the role and scope of practice of Australian nurse practitioners. Our tool comprised five sections and included a total of 56 questions, using 28 existing items from the National Nursing and Midwifery Labour Force Census and nine items recommended in the Nurse Practitioner Workforce Planning Minimum Data Set. Australian Nurse Registering Authorities (n = 6) distributed the survey on our behalf. This paper outlines our instrument and methods. The survey was administered to 238 authorized Australian nurse practitioners (85% response rate). Rigorous collection of standardized items will ensure health policy is informed by reliable and valid data. We will re-administer the survey 2 years following the first survey to measure change over time.

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Personalization of Mail Surveys for General Public and Populations with a Group Identity: Results from Nine Studies*

Cited by 31 publications

References 42 publications

A Test of Contextual Theory: The Relationship Among Relational Ethics, Marital Satisfaction, Health Problems, and Depression

A Test of Contextual Theory: The Relationship Among Relational Ethics, Marital Satisfaction, Health Problems, and Depression

Comparison of response rates and cost-effectiveness for a community-based survey: postal, internet and telephone modes with generic or personalised recruitment approaches

The first Australian nurse practitioner census: A protocol to guide standardized collection of information about an emergent professional group

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