A study of respondent forewarning in public opinion polls

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that forewarning by means of an introductory letter explaining the purpose and content of a community survey will produce more detailed and thought-out answers to the questions as well as a more cooperative attitude on the part of the respondent, two cities were chosen, and in both, letters were sent to part of the random samples. The questionnaire contained 19 questions, and was administered by interview. The author concludes that the letter was generally ineffective in producing more meaningful or a greater number of responses. Interviewer ratings of respondent cooperativeness showed evidence of upholding the hypothesis. The findings are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)