Old Versus New: The Comparative Efficiency of Mail and Internet Surveys

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Surveys are used extensively to examine elite behaviors and attitudes. Some survey methods are more expensive than others and each method has its own set of biases. This paper examines the representativeness of state legislators who completed a mail survey with those who completed an internet survey. The results indicate that mail surveys generate a significantly higher response rate and have a less gender bias than internet surveys. However, the results also indicate that mail surveys produce more age, and legislative professionalism bias than internet surveys.