Interviews or postal questionnaires? Comparisons of data about women's experiences with maternity services

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Public Health
• Survey Methodology

Background:

• Personal interview surveys are traditionally considered superior for data collection.
• Previous research has not fully explored the comparative efficacy of mail questionnaires versus in-person interviews in specific demographic contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally compare the effectiveness and efficiency of postal surveys versus personal interviews.
• To assess the impact of survey methodology on response rates and data quality among new mothers.

Main Methods:

• An experimental study involving 800 newly delivered mothers.
• Comparison of data collected via postal questionnaires and personal interviews.
• Analysis of response rates, data quality, and cost-effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Postal surveys were found to be cheaper and more easily repeatable than personal interviews.
• Interviewer effects were minimized with postal surveys.
• Response rates varied, but data quality was comparable across methods, with some differences noted between socioeconomic groups.

Conclusions:

• Postal surveys present significant advantages for collecting data on intimate experiences, such as pregnancy and delivery.
• The findings support the use of postal surveys in large-scale national studies, offering a cost-effective and reliable alternative to personal interviews.