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Methods to increase response rates to postal questionnaires.

P Edwards1, I Roberts, M Clarke

  • 1London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Keppel Street, London, UK, WC1E 7HT. phil.edwards@lshtm.ac.uk

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|April 20, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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This systematic review found that monetary incentives, recorded delivery, and pre-notification significantly increase response rates to postal questionnaires. Researchers can improve data quality by employing these proven strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Health Research Methodology

Background:

  • Postal questionnaires are crucial for epidemiological data collection.
  • Non-response to postal surveys can reduce sample size and introduce bias.
  • Improving response rates enhances the quality of health research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically identify effective strategies for increasing response rates to postal questionnaires.
  • To provide evidence-based recommendations for researchers.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted a comprehensive search of 14 electronic databases and manual searches.
  • Included all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating strategies to boost postal questionnaire response rates.
  • Analyzed data using random-effects models to estimate pooled odds ratios and confidence intervals.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • 372 eligible RCTs evaluated 98 different strategies.
  • Monetary incentives, recorded delivery, and teaser envelopes significantly doubled response odds.
  • Pre-notification, follow-up contact, unconditional incentives, and shorter questionnaires also substantially increased response rates.
  • Sensitive questions and opt-out options reduced response rates.

Conclusions:

  • Numerous effective strategies exist to increase postal questionnaire response rates.
  • Researchers can enhance data collection quality by implementing evidence-based methods.
  • The findings offer practical guidance for improving survey participation in health research.