The Lost Letter Technique as a Measure of Social Variables: Some Exploratory Findings

Abstract

Milgram's lost letter technique was used to test the hypothesis that large-city dwellers are less responsive to the needs of their fellow man than are small-town dwellers. Two experiments are reported in which lost letters were dropped in major cities, medium size communities and very small towns. In the first experiment the letters were stamped, but in the second experiment they were unstamped. Significant differences were found but they did not support the hypothesis. The results suggested the presence of regional differences in return rates and a possible source of bias was identified. Milgram, Mann, and Harter (1965) introduced an imaginative research tool which they labeled the lost letter technique. The lost letter technique consists of placing a large number of addressed, stamped, sealed, but unmailed letters in public places. When a person discovers one of these letters it appears to have been lost. When confronted with a lost letter, the finder may chose to ignore it, mail it, or destroy it. In the initial use of this technique, Milgram et al. varied the name of the organization to which the letter was addressed and were thereby able to obtain specific return rates for various organizations. Presumably, the individual return rates reflected the popularity or public acceptance of the organizations. Milgram et al. demonstrated that community attitudes toward various organizations could be measured with the lost letter technique. Similarly, Milgram (1969), and Shotland, Berger, and Forsythe (1970) demonstrated that the outcome of an election could be predicted by the return rates of lost letters addressed to campaign organizations. It would appear that the usefulness of the lost letter technique is not limited to the assessment of community attitudes. The present paper reports two attempts to expand the lost letter technique into other areas of social research. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM The mass communications media tend to characterize the urban dweller as isolated, selfcentered, and unconcerned with the needs of his fellow man. The widely publicized murder of Kitty Genovese on the streets of New York is often used as an illustration of the callousness and indifference of the urban dweller. In marked contrast, the small-town dweller is often characterized as friendly, helpful and socially responsible. The mass media appear to enjoy reporting stories of the humanitarian efforts of small towns in helping their members in need. If these characterizations are correct, if smalltown dwellers are indeed more concerned about their fellow man, then one could hypothesize that more lost letters would be returned from small communities than from large urban areas.