A Test of Two Procedures for Increasing Responses to Mail Surveys

This paper examines the effectiveness of two procedures used in combination in an attempt to increase responses to a mail survey in a cost effect manner: a first reminder letter without a replacement questionnaire, coupled with a time-bounded prize draw for $100 worth of petrol vouchers. The prize draw elicited a faster response to the first two mail-outs, but produced only a slightly higher response rate by the end of the survey (43% vs. 41%). The use of a letter without a replacement questionnaire for the first reminder resulted in a lower response to that mail-out, but a slightly higher response rate by the end of the survey, and was the most cost-effective procedure. A combination of prize draw plus letter-only first reminder gave the highest response rate overall, but the differences between combinations were not statistically significant. A much higher level of agreement to be re-interviewed was obtained when the prize draw was used. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]