INFLUENCE OF AN INVITATION TO ANSWER BY TELEPHONE ON RESPONSE TO CENSUS QUESTIONNAIRES

An experimental test was made of whether completion rates for a census questionnaire could be improved by offering the option of calling a toll-free number and providing the requested information to an interviewer as an alternative to mailing it back. Conducted on a national probability sample of ho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public opinion quarterly 1994-01, Vol.58 (4), p.557-568
Main Authors: DILLMAN, DON A., WEST, KIRSTEN K., CLARK, JON R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Census
Census forms
Censuses
Data collection
Housing units
Mail services
Mailings
Methodology
Methodology (Data Collection)
Population
Public Opinion
Questionnaires
Research Methodology
Research Responses
Response rates
Statistical variance
Telephone
Telephone enquiries
Telephones
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Summary:An experimental test was made of whether completion rates for a census questionnaire could be improved by offering the option of calling a toll-free number and providing the requested information to an interviewer as an alternative to mailing it back. Conducted on a national probability sample of house holds, five treatment panels were created to examine the effect of delivering, in different ways, the invitation to respond by telephone or mail. Offering such invitations did not improve completion rates except when included with a follow-up letter that did not also include a replacement questionnaire.
ISSN:0033-362X
1537-5331
DOI:10.1086/269447