Mail Survey Research Research Articles

How low can we go? Declining survey response rates to new zealand electoral roll mail surveys over three decades

ABSTRACT Quality survey research relies on the willingness of the public to participate, but survey response rates are decreasing over time. This research note explores response rate data from several national probability sample mail surveys drawn from a consistent sampling frame (the New Zealand electoral roll) over the past 30 years. The aim of this work is to document the scale of the response rate decline problem in mail survey studies, predict future response rates, and track nonresponse bias through comparing self-reported voter turnout in surveys to official turnout. We use data from the New Zealand Election Study, the International Social Survey Programme, the New Zealand edition of the World Values Survey, and the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study. Our findings demonstrate that there has been a consistent downward trend in response rates and an increase in nonresponse bias for self-reported voter turnout. Response rates in the early 1990s were as high as 72%, before dropping to the 60% range around the year 2000, with response rates effectively halving from their early 1990s rates by 2015. We comment on the implications for future surveys, voter enrolment, local government turnout, and political polling. Ultimately, these results leave us with the question of how long traditional mail survey research will be able to continue.

Exploring the Nonlinear Impact of Organizational Integration on New Product Market Success

This article explores the nonlinear relationship between organizational integration and new product market success (NPMS). The concept of organizational integration was measured by assessing the degree of integration among various groups of people involved in the development of new products including new product development (NPD) teams that are typically the focal points of NPD efforts. New product market success was measured by examining four often‐used measures of NPD success. The mail survey research approach was used to gather empirical data from NPD managers in three major industries. The data gathered from this survey process were used as the basis from which to extract information to address this study's major research questions, which include: (1) How is the degree of new product market success related to the nonlinear degree to which groups of people (including NPD teams) integrate during NPD processes? and (2) How is the degree of new product market success related to the nonlinear degree to which separate groups of people (e.g., customers, suppliers, and functional departments) integrate during NPD processes? This study found that high levels of organizational integration (overall organizational integration and supplier organizational integration) during NPD processes are associated with high levels of new product market success. Additionally, this study found that the relationship between new product market success and organizational integration (customer organizational integration and functional organization integration) during NPD processes exhibit nonlinear, U‐shaped relationships. Therefore, the first important finding of this study confirms that various forms of organizational integration impact in a positive way the market success of new products. This suggests that management responsible for all NPD projects should consciously integrate important groups of people to support such developments. This study's findings also confirm and imply that new product developers in the studied industries should integrate marketing and research and development (R&D) over the duration of the NPD process. This suggests that new product managers must be proactive to assure that members of NPD teams are actively engaged with groups of supporting people within and outside new‐product–producing organizations. Unlike prior research, a major finding of this study suggests that the association between organizational integration and new product market success does not form inverted U‐shaped relationships. Data from this research imply that new product market success is linearly influenced by overall and supplier organizational integration. However, this study's data suggest that new product market success is nonlinearly influenced by customer and functional organizational integration. This study's data suggest that when customer organizational integration and/or functional organizational integration is increased, new product market success can be increased at a rate which is greater than a linear rate.

Exploring the moderating influence of product innovativeness on the organizational integration‐new product market success relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate the moderating impact of product innovativeness on the new product market success‐organizational integration relationship. Design/methodology/approach – A mail survey research approach was used that gathered 131 completed survey instruments from NPD managers in the electrical products, medical devices, and the heavy construction equipment industries. Findings – This research confirmed that organizational integration during NPD processes and the innovativeness of new products are associated with new product market success. This study also discovered that product innovativeness does not moderate the organizational integration‐new product market success relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThis study's findings may not be generalizable to industries beyond those studied, the studied relationships may change when new product projects are appended to one another, and it may be necessary to take into account several dimensions of product innovativeness to ascertain the relationship between product innovativeness and new product market success.Practical implicationsThis study's results imply organizational integration can be increased to increase the market success of new products; new product developers should integrate marketing and R&D during NPD projects; and the innovativeness of new products can be increased without affecting the organizational integration‐new product market success relationship. Originality/value – The investigation of the following research questions contributes to NPD knowledge. How is new product market success related to NPD organizational integration? How is new product market success related to a product's innovativeness? To what extent does the innovativeness of new products moderate the relationship between new product market success and organizational integration?

An investigation of the moderating influence of NPD speed on the organisational integration-new product market success and NPD process proficiency-new product market success relationships

This paper examines the moderating influence of new product development (NPD) speed on the organisational integration-new product market success and the NPD process proficiency-new product market success relationships. The mail survey research approach was used to gather data from NPD managers in the electrical products, medical devices, and the heavy construction equipment industries. The data gathered from this process was used as the basis from which to extract information to address this study’s major research questions which include: 1) to what extent does NPD speed moderate the new product market success-organisational integration relationship?; 2) to what extent does NPD speed moderate the relationship between new product market success and the proficiency with which NPD process activities are performed?; 3) which moderation situation has the greatest impact on new product market success? It was confirmed that organisational integration and NPD process proficiency are significantly related to new product success. This study agreed with the research of Ittner and Larcker (1997) in that NPD speed and new product market success are not significantly related. NPD speed neither moderates the organisational integration-new product market success relationship nor the NPD process proficiency-new product success relationship. Managerial implications are provided and research directions are suggested.

Characteristics of Prevention Services and Prevention Counseling Programs in New York State

The purpose of this study is to describe the activities and characteristics of prevention providers in New York. Data collection method was mail survey research, with a response rate of just over 53%. More than 564,500 students were served by general prevention programs and more than 43,000 were evaluated for prevention counseling (PC). More than 25% of the general prevention providers' time is spent providing counseling, while 47% of the PC students are receiving individual counseling. Large numbers of students are seen by prevention providers, with many receiving counseling, though the nature and structure of this counseling is largely unexplored.

Revisiting the Value of Repeated Contacts on Survey Response Rates in Management Accounting Research

This study examines the use and effect of repeated contacts on mail survey response rates in management accounting research. The use of repeated contacts such as prenotification or follow-up is one highly recommended means to increase response rates. However, there is very little theory behind this recommendation. Further, the empirical evidence is mixed. We start by documenting the use and effect of such techniques on response rates in extant management accounting research. Second, we conduct an experiment to examine the individual and combined influence of prenotification and follow-up on response rates. The analysis of the literature from 1985 to 2004 and our experimental evidence reveal that repeated contacts do not systematically increase response rates. Our analysis suggests that there is a need to better understand when, why, and how repeated contacts are expected to influence response rates, and in particular, their potential benefit to management accounting mail survey research.

Mail Survey Return Rates Published in Health Education Journals: An Issue of External Validity

This study assessed mail survey return rates published in seven general health education journals for the 13-year period, 1990–2002: American Journal of Health Behavior, American Journal of Health Education, American Journal of Health Promotion, Health Education & Behavior, Health Education Research, Journal of American College Health, and the Journal of School Health. A significant difference in mail survey return rates across the seven journals was found. Also, published mail survey return rates significantly increased from 1990–1995 (M=61.8%) to 1997–2002 (M=65.5%). All of the journals had published a noteworthy percentage (10–26%) of their mailed survey research studies with return rates of less than 50%. Finally, there was not a significant association between sample size and return rates of published mail survey studies. Researchers reporting mail survey research results in health education journals should expect to have return rates of 60% or greater. Yet, such return rates may still be considered a significant threat to the external validity of the findings.

Total cost/response rate trade-offs in mail survey research: impact of follow-up mailings and monetary incentives

This article reports results of a mail survey experiment in which several response-inducement methods were manipulated. The experiment assesses the impact of follow-up mailings and monetary incentives on total cost/response rate trade-offs. Experimental findings lead to a number of recommendations for researchers and managers who conduct mail surveys. First, follow-up mailings and monetary incentives should be used to maximize response rate. Second, given a limited budget for survey administration, follow-up mailings are preferred over monetary incentives. Third, if there is limited time for survey administration, monetary incentives may be preferred over follow-up mailings. Finally, follow-up mailings have the added benefit of enabling nonresponse bias estimation.

Proprietary market research: are online panels appropriate?

This study assesses the efficacy of using an online panel to represent the views of participants in an annual proprietary multi‐sports event. A mixed mode (online and mail survey) research design was used in an attempt to collect data from the entire client‐base. While there were some demographic similarities between the online and mail respondent groups, there were also some significant demographic and behavioral differences and important product preference differences. Our survey findings are presented and discussed. In addition, we discuss the implications of our findings for panel selection in proprietary marketing research settings.

The influence of topic involvement on mail‐survey response behavior

AbstractIn this study the influence of topic involvement on mail‐survey response rate and speed was experimentally investigated. The results show that response rates for topics that are generally considered as high involvement were higher than for topics that are generally considered as low involvement. However, the speed of response did not differ between the two levels of topic involvement. Moreover, in terms of response rates an interesting interaction effect was observed: For the high‐involvement topic, the response rate showed a further positive and significant correlation with the within‐topic level of involvement, but this was not the case for the low‐involvement topic. The implications of these findings to nonresponse bias in mail survey research are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Who's in Charge? An Empirical Study of Executive Staffing Practices in Foreign Subsidiaries

AbstractThis study investigates executive staffing practices in foreign subsidiaries of multinational corporations. Grounded in a literature review of the reasons for employing either parent country nationals or host country nationals in top management positions in foreign subsidiaries, a number of factors influencing the choice between these alternatives are identified. Using a combination of an archival and mail survey research method, the influence of each of these factors is empirically tested with a sample of nearly 3000 observations. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Increasing Response Rates to Mail Questionnaires: A Review of Inducement Strategies

Health education researchers frequently use mail questionnaires to collect data. One major limitation to mail survey research is nonresponse bias. When the nonresponse rate is high, external validity is compromised. A number of studies have examined the effect of inducement strategies on response rate. Such studies have resulted in much discrepancy and uncertainty as to the strategies that consistently increase response rate. This article provides survey researchers with effective inducement strategies based on a comprehensive review of the professional literature. Five areas of consideration regarding mail survey research are examined: (1) envelopes and postage, (2) cover letter, (3) incentives, (4) questionnaire characteristics, and (5) participant contact. The use of this information should strengthen mail survey research and minimize nonresponse bias.

Who's in Charge? An Empirical Study of Executive Staffing Practices in Foreign Subsidiaries

This study investigates executive staffing practices in foreign subsidiaries of multinational corporations. Grounded in a literature review of the reasons for employing either parent country nationals or host country nationals in top management positions in foreign subsidiaries, a number of factors influencing the choice between these alternatives are identified. Using a combination of an archival and mail survey research method, the influence of each of these factors is empirically tested with a sample of nearly 3000 observations. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Riding the Wave: Response Rates and the Effects of Time Intervals between Successive Mail Survey Follow-up Efforts

We investigate a mail survey research issue that has received little attention in the literature: the timing of follow-up efforts. Our data indicate that there is no relationship between the number of elapsed days between waves and response rate; these findings are based on follow-up mailings sent to each of 20 different treatment groups, testing follow-up intervals ranging from three to 60 days. The implications of these findings are quite meaningful. When timeliness of mail survey responses is an important consideration, or when history and maturation biases are legitimate concerns, survey researchers should follow up sooner rather than later. A quick follow-up strategy will not jeopardize response rates.

Likelihood of Participating in Mail Survey Research: Business Respondents' Perspectives

This research used a survey-on-surveys approach to study business respondents' perspectives of mail surveys. Two studies were conducted. The results of the first study showed that day of the week had no effect on the likelihood of responding to a mail survey. Short questionnaires were preferred over long ones. The content of the study was the most important factor in stimulating response rates, followed by sponsorship of the study and postage paid reply envelopes. Prenotification and follow-up appeared to be the least important factors. These results were supported by the results of the second study. The results of the second study also indicated that researchers should use noncomparative scales or open-ended questions when asking respondents for facts and use comparative scales or fixed alternative responses when asking respondents for opinions or numbers.

Development of a Standard E-Mail Methodology: Results of an Experiment

Review of past E-mail surveys indicates that a method- ology to achieve consistently high response rates similar to those that can be obtained by traditional mail has not been developed. In addition, researchers have tended to use E-mail surveys only for populations with universal E-mail access. This study utilizes knowl- edge from past mail-survey research to develop an E-mail proce- dure. Further, an experiment is conducted to assess the potential for using a multimode strategy to obtain responses from individuals unreachable through E-mail. 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.

Evaluating the results of mail survey research.

To present overall guidance enabling the reader to critically evaluate survey research conducted via mail questionnaire. Also considered are the sources of error that may operate during the conduct of survey research and the threats they pose to both the internal rigor of the study and the generalizability of the results. Not applicable. Not applicable. Not applicable. Survey research has been used so commonly and for such a wide range of purposes in a large number of fields, that some people may mistakenly conclude that surveys are easy to conduct. Survey research involves much more than generating a set of questions to ask a group of subjects. To draw valid conclusions about the topic of a survey, the pharmacist must be prepared to evaluate the results in light of how well the investigators approached four sources of error--coverage, sampling, measurement, and nonresponse. The evaluation of survey administration procedures primarily concerns determining whether or not a pilot study was conducted, whether proper statistical analyses were conducted, and whether multiple mailing procedures were used. Failure to account for these sources of error, or inappropriate survey administration, could seriously affect both the generalizability and validity of the results.

Ethical and Methodological Improvements to Mail Survey Research: An Alternative Follow-Up Method

Abstract: Follow-up contacts increase response rates to mail surveys substantially. However, for individuals who do not wish to participate such repeated contacts are intrusive, creating an ethical concern. An alternative follow-up procedure was developed that allows contacted individuals to choose not to participate by returning a “Reasons for Not Responding” (RNR) form. This study was designed to compare the RNR method with a traditional follow-up procedure, the Total Design method (TDM). Specifically, a two (follow-up method) by two (early versus late return) between-subjects design was used to examine satisfaction with and quality of responses to a survey mailed to 300 randomly selected households. The results showed that respondents in the RNR conditions were more satisfied with the research than respondents in the TDM conditions, particularly after repeated contacts. Further, although response quality was equivalent for the two methods in the early returns, it was lower in the TDM group, but not in the RNR group, after repeated contacts. These results suggest that mail survey researchers should seriously consider using the RNR method, especially because (a) the overall response rate to the two methods was very similar, (b) the nonrespondents frequently indicated on their RNR forms that they had made an informed decision not to participate, and (c) the RNR form allows researchers to collect information on the demographic characteristics of nonrespondents.

Factors influencing exposure of children to major hazards on family farms.

On family farms, parents are usually knowledgeable of high-risk activities, yet they allow their children to be active participants in (or bystanders to) hazardous work for reasons not well-documented. A two-phase descriptive study, based on the theory of planned behavior and using mail survey research methods, was carried out to understand factors that influence parents' decisions to expose children to major hazards on family farms. A representative sample of 1,255 Wisconsin dairy farm fathers provided data about factors that influence their decisions to expose children younger than 14 years to risks of injury. Multivariate analyses revealed that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control accounted for up to three-fourths of the variance in fathers' behavioral intentions. Fathers' attitudes were stronger predictors of behavioral intentions than subjective norms (i.e., perceived social pressure) or perceived control. Grandparents and mothers exerted a limited influence. Other groups, such as health care providers, 4-H, Future Farmers of America, and insurers, exerted only a modest influence on fathers' feelings of social pressure. Few demographic characteristics of the family or farm were predictive of fathers' intentions to expose children to hazards.

Rural Health Care Providers’ Educational Needs Related to Agricultural Exposures

The wide spectrum of agricultural diseases and injuries, combined with the changes in health care delivery, underscores the need for rural health care providers to maintain competency in occupational medicine pertaining to agriculture. Educational needs and training preferences of rural health care providers were determined through mail survey research conducted among a random sample of Midwest physicians, physician assistants, nurses, veterinarians, and chiropractors. Data from 1,237 survey participants revealed the most common agricultural exposures experienced by their patients/clients include heavy lifting, environmental dusts or irritants, and hazardous machinery. Minimal clinical competency was reported for exposures to pesticides, noxious gases, and volatile organic chemicals. Textbooks and journals were the most commonly used reference sources of the providers. Family and professional obligations along with cost and difficulty acquiring practice coverage, were the major barriers to participation in continuing education programs. Survey results suggest methods to maximize professional education and training experiences relevant to agricultural exposures.