Response Rates for Mixed-Mode Surveys Using Mail and E-mail/Web
American Journal of EvaluationPublished 9 January 2008
Patrick D. Converse, Edward W. Wolfe, Xiaoting Huang, Frederick L. Oswald
Citations137
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score0.82
SNIP1.51
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
The results suggest that survey implementation involving mail followed by e-mail/Web, or even mail-only approaches, may result in larger samples than implementation involving e- mail/Web followed by mail.
Abstract
This study examines response rates for mixed-mode survey implementation involving mail and e-mail/Web components. Using Dillman's Tailored Design Method, 1,500 participants were sent a survey either (a) via mail with a follow-up contact via e-mail that directed them to a Web-based questionnaire or (b) via e-mail that directed them to a Web-based questionnaire with a follow-up contact via mail. Results indicate that these mixed-mode procedures produce moderately high response rates. However, the mail survey tended to be more effective than the e-mail/Web survey, when serving either as the initial contact or as the follow-up contact. These results suggest that survey implementation involving mail followed by e-mail/Web, or even mail-only approaches, may result in larger samples than implementation involving e-mail/Web followed by mail.
Keywords
Social SciencesBusiness, Management and Accounting
Mail and internet surveys : the tailored design method
9,659 Citations2007Don A. Dillman
Educational and Psychological MeasurementA Meta-Analysis of Response Rates in Web- or Internet-Based Surveys
2,414 Citations2000Colleen Cook, Fred Heath +1 more
The number of contacts, personalized contacts, and precontacts are the factors most associated with higher response rates in the Web studies that are analyzed.
Public Opinion QuarterlyWeb Surveys
2,066 Citations2000Mick P. Couper
By offering a typology of Web survey designs, the intent of this article is to facilitate the task of evaluating and improving Web surveys.
Annual Review of PsychologyHuman Research and Data Collection via the Internet
883 Citations2004Michael H. Birnbaum
Alternative programming techniques (procedures for data collection) are compared, including client-side as opposed to server-side programming, and reasons that Web researchers are enthusiastic about the potential of the new methods are discussed.
Social Science ResearchResponse rate and measurement differences in mixed-mode surveys using mail, telephone, interactive voice response (IVR) and the Internet
857 Citations2008Don A. Dillman, Glenn Phelps +5 more
Responses to the aural modes (telephone and IVR) are significantly more likely than are respondents to the visual modes (mail and web) to give extreme positive responses, a difference that cannot be accounted for by a tendency towards recency effects with telephone.
Public Opinion QuarterlyDevelopment of a Standard E-Mail Methodology: Results of an Experiment
834 Citations1998David R. Schaefer, Don A. Dillman
The multimode approach proved to be successful and techniques shown to be effective in standard mail surveys were also found to be appropriate for an E-mail survey.
Journal of Official StatisticsTo mix or not to mix data collection modes in surveys.
809 Citations2005Edith D. de Leeuw
Field MethodsAdvantages and Disadvantages of Internet Research Surveys: Evidence from the Literature
739 Citations2002Ronald D. Fricker, Matthias Schonlau
The authors evaluate popular claims that Internet-based surveys can be conducted more quickly, effectively, cheaply, and/or easily than surveys conducted via conventional modes and find that the realities of cost and speed often do not live up to the hype.
International Journal of Market ResearchA Comparison of Mail, Fax and Web-Based Survey Methods
507 Citations2001Cihan Çobanoğlu, Patrick J. Moreo +1 more
This study compares mail, fax and web-based surveys in a university setting for response speed, response rate and costs, and found that the fastest method was fax, followed by web surveys with 5.0 days to respond, and mail surveys with 16.46 days.
Journal of Computer-Mediated CommunicationComparative Response to a Survey Executed by Post, E-mail, & Web Form
462 Citations2006Gi Woong Yun, Craig W. Trumbo
The differences detected in the response groups indicate that using multi-mode survey techniques improved the representativeness of the sample without biasing other results.
Journal of Operations ManagementExperimental comparison of Web, electronic and mail survey technologies in operations management
248 Citations2001Robert D. Klassen, Jennifer Jacobs
A multi-technology survey approach using the Web and fax can yield a strong combination of benefits over a traditional mail survey and be associated with firms exhibiting best practices.
Journal of Medical Internet ResearchInternet Versus Mailed Questionnaires: A Controlled Comparison (2)
223 Citations2004Pam Leece, Mohit Bhandari +6 more
The authors' Internet-based survey to surgeons resulted in a significantly lower response rate than a traditional mailed survey, and researchers should not assume that the widespread availability and potential ease of Internet- based surveys will translate into higher response rates.
Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & ComputersResponse rate, speed, and completeness: A comparison of Internet-based and mail surveys
155 Citations2002Allen D. Truell, James E. Bartlett +1 more
Although internet-based and mail surveys achieved a similar response rate, Internet-based surveys may be more effective than mail surveys in a setting such as when the target population has both e-mail and Internet access.
Journal of Drug EducationComparison of Web and Mail Surveys in Collecting Illicit Drug Use Data: A Randomized Experiment
143 Citations2004Sean Esteban McCabe
Preliminary evidence is provided that Web and U.S. mail surveys produce similar results regarding illicit drug use among undergraduate students, which bode well for using Web surveys in college-based research.
The GerontologistE-mail Versus Conventional Postal Mail Survey of Geriatric Chiefs
121 Citations2001Donna Brady Raziano, Ravishankar Jayadevappa +3 more
It appears that although the web-based technology is gaining popularity and leads to lower cost per response, the conventional postal method of surveying continues to deliver a better response rate among the geriatric medicine division chiefs.
Journal of Travel ResearchComparing Mail and Web-Based Survey Distribution Methods: Results of Surveys to Leisure Travel Retailers
120 Citations2005Shu Cole
Addictive BehaviorsComparing web and mail responses in a mixed mode survey in college alcohol use research
96 Citations2006Sean Esteban McCabe, Alison Diez +3 more
Preliminary evidence that web and mail surveys produce comparable estimates of alcohol use in a non-randomized mixed mode design is provided and the results suggest that mixed mode survey designs could be effective at reaching certain college sub-populations and improving overall response rate while maintaining valid measurement ofalcohol use.
American Journal of EvaluationIs a Web Survey as Effective as a Mail Survey? A Field Experiment Among Computer Users
91 Citations2005Nancy Ellen Kiernan, Michaela Kiernan +2 more
Web survey participants completed similarly high numbers of quantitative questions as mail survey participants, provided longer and more substantive responses to qualitative questions, and did not demonstrate evidence of evaluative bias, suggesting that program evaluators could expand their use of Web surveys among computer users.
Public Opinion QuarterlyInfluence of an Invitation to Answer by Telephone on Response to Census Questionnaires
52 Citations1994Don A. Dillman, Kirsten West +1 more
Social Science Computer ReviewWeb surveys as part of a mixed-mode strategy for populations that cannot be contacted by E-mail
46 Citations2003Matthias Schonlau, Beth J. Asch +1 more
Social Science Computer ReviewWeb Surveys as Part of a Mixed-Mode Strategy for Populations that cannot be Contacted by E-Mail
44 Citations2003Matthias Schonlau, Beth J. Asch +1 more
This study explores whether a sequential mixed-mode web/mail strategy can be used for a target population to encourage respondents to choose the web mode and finds that almost two thirds of the respondents nonetheless prefer responding by mail.
Evaluation and Program PlanningMethodologic challenges of e-health research
28 Citations2006J. Michael Bowling, Barbara K. Rimer +4 more
Alternative methods of measuring response rates in Internet surveys are presented and research-based strategies used in a web-based study to assess the impact of participation in cancer-related mailing lists on cancer survivors and caregivers are highlighted.
Evaluation & the Health ProfessionsPsychometric Properties of an Instrument Designed to Measure the Educational Quality of Graduate Training Programs
14 Citations2004S. Beth Bierer, Andrew J. Fishleder +3 more
Mean plots showed that the instrument could discriminate within and among training programs at the item level and the factor level, which should help target improvements across graduate training programs within large institutions.
Evaluation and Program PlanningMultidisciplinary eHealth survey evaluation methods
2 Citations2006Bryant T. Karras, James T. Tufano
The survey ontology development process is described and lessons learned in the creation of the web survey system evaluation framework are detail lessons learned.