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Using different approaches to conducting postal questionnaires affected response rates and cost-efficiency
Christina Stenhammar1, Pär Bokström, Birgitta Edlund
1Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Samariterhemmets vårdcentrum, Box 609, SE-751 25 Uppsala, Sweden. christina.stenhammar@uppsala.se
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
|April 29, 2011
Summary
The Actively Decline method for postal questionnaires significantly improves response rates and cost-efficiency compared to Actively Agree and Direct Delivery methods. This approach also facilitates demographic data collection for dropout analysis.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Public Health
- Survey Methodology
Background:
- Postal questionnaires are common in population surveys.
- Optimizing response rates, time, and cost is crucial for survey efficiency.
- Understanding participant consent methods impacts data collection outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of three consent approaches for postal questionnaires.
- To evaluate response rates, time consumption, and cost-efficiency.
- To assess the utility of demographic questionnaires for dropout analysis.
Main Methods:
- A population survey in Sweden involved 600 parents of 3-year-olds.
- Three consent groups were established: Actively Agree, Direct Delivery, and Actively Decline.
- All participants completed a demographic questionnaire.
Main Results:
- The Actively Decline method yielded the highest response rate.
- This approach demonstrated superior cost-efficiency compared to Direct Delivery and Actively Agree.
- Demographic data was successfully collected for dropout analysis.
Conclusions:
- The Actively Decline approach is recommended for postal questionnaires to enhance response rates.
- This method improves time consumption and cost-efficiency in survey research.
- Demographic data collection via this method supports valuable dropout analyses.
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