The Behavior of Respondents, Nonrespondents, and Refusers Across Mail Surveys

Abstract

Although numerous studies have attempted to measure nonresponse bias by comparing the characteristics of respondents and nonrespondents, most studies have restricted their comparisons to the outcome of a single survey and typically treat nonrespondents as a homogeneous group. However, with regard to mail surveys at least, several studies have noted the importance of distinguishing between nonresponse due to noncompliance and nonresponse due to inaccessibility (Mayer and Pratt 1966; Stinchcombe, Jones, and Sheatsley 1981), raising the possibility that different groups of nonrespondents may have different predispositions toward survey participation. In order to measure a person's predisposition toward survey participation, it is necessary to examine their behavior across surveys. To date, only one published study appears to have done this. Stinchcombe, Jones, and Sheatsley (1981) compared the characteristics and attitudes of early responders, late responders, nonresponders, and refusers to a telephone survey of farmers by examining the responses and participation history of these same farmers to previous mail surveys. They found that the tendency to refuse to participate in surveys was not related to accessibility, or vice versa, and provided evidence that hard-core refusers demonstrated quite different attitudes and behavior from both those easily interviewed and those difficult to contact. Generalizations from Stinchcombe, Jones, and Sheatsley's findings are limited because of the highly specialized sampling frame and topic. But the possibility that respondents, refusers, and other nonrespondents may have different predispositions toward survey participation has important implications for how surveys are conducted and how the effectiveness of survey methods is assessed. The purpose of the