Abstract
Survey researchers have typically assumed that university sponsorship consistently increases response rates and reduces nonresponse error across different populations, but they have not tested the effects of utilizing different university sponsors to collect data from the same population. In addition, scholars have not examined how these effects differ for mixed-mode (web and mail) or mail-only data collection. To explore these questions, we conducted an experiment in spring 2012 with an address-based sample of residents from two states (Washington and Nebraska), using two university sponsors (Washington State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln) and two modes (a sequential "web-push" design versus a mail-only design). We found that within-state-sponsored surveys tended to obtain higher response rates than out-of-state-sponsored surveys for both "web-push" and mail-only designs. Our study also investigates the impacts of mode and sponsor on the representativeness of survey estimates.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 734-750 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Public Opinion Quarterly |
| Volume | 78 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2014 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Communication
- History
- Sociology and Political Science
- Social Sciences(all)
- History and Philosophy of Science
Cite this
An experimental test of the effects of survey sponsorship on internet and mail survey response. / Edwards, Michelle L.; Dillman, Don A.; Smyth, Jolene D.
In: Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 78, No. 3, 01.01.2014, p. 734-750.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - An experimental test of the effects of survey sponsorship on internet and mail survey response
AU - Edwards, Michelle L.
AU - Dillman, Don A.
AU - Smyth, Jolene D
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - Survey researchers have typically assumed that university sponsorship consistently increases response rates and reduces nonresponse error across different populations, but they have not tested the effects of utilizing different university sponsors to collect data from the same population. In addition, scholars have not examined how these effects differ for mixed-mode (web and mail) or mail-only data collection. To explore these questions, we conducted an experiment in spring 2012 with an address-based sample of residents from two states (Washington and Nebraska), using two university sponsors (Washington State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln) and two modes (a sequential "web-push" design versus a mail-only design). We found that within-state-sponsored surveys tended to obtain higher response rates than out-of-state-sponsored surveys for both "web-push" and mail-only designs. Our study also investigates the impacts of mode and sponsor on the representativeness of survey estimates.
AB - Survey researchers have typically assumed that university sponsorship consistently increases response rates and reduces nonresponse error across different populations, but they have not tested the effects of utilizing different university sponsors to collect data from the same population. In addition, scholars have not examined how these effects differ for mixed-mode (web and mail) or mail-only data collection. To explore these questions, we conducted an experiment in spring 2012 with an address-based sample of residents from two states (Washington and Nebraska), using two university sponsors (Washington State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln) and two modes (a sequential "web-push" design versus a mail-only design). We found that within-state-sponsored surveys tended to obtain higher response rates than out-of-state-sponsored surveys for both "web-push" and mail-only designs. Our study also investigates the impacts of mode and sponsor on the representativeness of survey estimates.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84928812586&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84928812586&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/poq/nfu027
DO - 10.1093/poq/nfu027
M3 - Review article
VL - 78
SP - 734
EP - 750
JO - Public Opinion Quarterly
JF - Public Opinion Quarterly
SN - 0033-362X
IS - 3
ER -