Impact of questionnaire length, follow-up methods, and geographical location on response rate to a mail survey

Abstract

Assessed the impact of 2 levels of questionnaire length, 4 follow-up methods, and 8 heterogeneous geographical areas on response rate to a mail survey. Questionnaires were mailed to a large random sample of telephone customers. For each geographical location, 264 customers were drawn and equally divided among the 8 experimental conditions. No significant differences in response rate occurred between a short, 4-page questionnaire and a long, 6-page questionnaire. However, the telephone reminder produced the best results, post reminder the second best results, and telephone interviews both with and without prior alert produced the poorest results. There were significant Follow-Up * Geographical Area interactions, suggesting a market segmentation strategy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)