Mail Questionnaires in Survey Research: A Review of Response Inducement Techniques

Abstract

The mail questionnaire is one of the most frequently used and controversial techniques in applied social science research. Much of the controversy relates to the difficulty involved in achieving response rates high enough to ensure representativeness. This paper surveys the recent literature on response inducement techniques in mail survey research. This review examined 12 of the most frequently researched techniques for increasing response rates. Five were found to consistently produce higher responses. These were prenotification, personalization, the inclusion of monetary incentives, follow-up, and higher class return postage. Two, source sponsorship and the type of appeal in the cover letter, appeared to increase response rates but in a situation specific manner. Four of the factors examined had no effect on response rates. These were the address location or social setting in which the questionnaire was received; specification of a deadline; the color, length, form, or preceding of the instrument; and the interaction of multiple factors. One item, the class of outgoing postage remained inconclusive.