Increasing Response Rates to Mail Questionnaires: Effects of Incentives and Certified Mail.

Abstract

Two experimental manipulations were undertaken to improve the response rate to questionnaires mailed to Navy enlisted men who were joining the Fleet Reserve after twenty years of service. In a two by two design we studied the effects of giving $1 incentive payments and using certified mail. The data showed that incentives sharply increased response rate, in one mailing from 17% to 34%, but that certification had no effect. Explanations of the beneficial effect of incentives and the ineffectiveness of certified mail are discussed. (Author)

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 25, 1980
Accession Number
ADA087290

Entities

People

  • John R. P. French Jr.
  • Steven R. Doehrman

Organizations

  • University of Michigan

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Governments
  • Group Dynamics
  • Michigan
  • Military Research
  • Motivation
  • New York
  • Performance Tests
  • Public Opinion
  • Questionnaires
  • Surveys
  • United States
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Personnel Management and Statistics in the Military and Department of Defense
  • Theoretical Analysis.