Effort in Phone Survey Response Rates: The Effects of Vendor and Client-Controlled Factors

Field Methods ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher McCarty ◽  
Mark House ◽  
Jeffrey Harman ◽  
Scott Richards
Keyword(s):  
Response Rates ◽  
Survey Response ◽  
Phone Survey

scholarly journals Effectiveness of WhatsApp for measuring migration in follow-up phone surveys - Lessons from a mode experiment in two low-income countries during COVID contact restrictions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Ndashimye ◽  
Oumarou Hebie ◽  
Jasper Tjaden
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Interactive Voice Response ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Response Rates ◽  
Survey Response ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Migration Behavior ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Phone Survey

Phone surveys have increasingly become important data collection tools in developing countries, particularly in the context of sudden contact restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Phone surveys offer particular potential for migration scholars aiming to study cross-border migration behavior. Geographic change of location over time complicates the logistics of face-to-face surveys and heavily increases costs. There is, however, limited evidence of the effectiveness of the phone survey modes in different geographic settings more generally, and in migration research more specifically. In this field experiment, we compared the response rates between WhatsApp—a relatively new but increasingly important survey mode—and interactive voice response (IVR) modes, using a sample of 8446 contacts in Senegal and Guinea. At 12%, WhatsApp survey response rates were nearly eight percentage points lower than IVR survey response rates. However, WhatsApp offers higher survey completion rates, substantially lower costs and does not introduce more sample selection bias compared to IVR. We discuss the potential of WhatsApp surveys in low-income contexts and provide practical recommendations for field implementation.

The Best Times to Call in a Mobile Phone Survey

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-570
Author(s):  
Paula Vicente
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Response Rates ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Survey Response ◽  
High Response ◽  
Response Process ◽  
Phone Survey ◽  
Region Of Residence

Establishing contact with the sample units is an important part of the survey response process, and an efficient calling schedule is critical to achieve high response rates. The rapid increase in mobile phone ownership has triggered the interest of marketing researchers in the use of mobile phones for collecting survey data about consumers. Mobile phone surveys may favour establishing contact with sample units since the mobile phone is a personal device carried at all times, thus making the person permanently contactable. This paper aims to identify the best times to call in a mobile phone survey by investigating the influence of the day and time of the call on the likelihood of establishing contact and obtaining an interview. A three-level ranking of calling periods, based on call efficiency, is proposed. Outcomes also revealed that the level of efficiency of calling periods is not dissociated from respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, namely in terms of age and region of residence.

A METHODOLOGICAL NOTE ON MAIL SURVEY RESPONSE RATES

2000 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 1273 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEREMY H. LIPSCHULTZ
Keyword(s):  
Mail Survey ◽  
Response Rates ◽  
Survey Response

Methodology Meets Technology: Survey Response Rates Using Mail, Email and Fax

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (37) ◽  
pp. 581-584
Author(s):  
Michael S. Wogalter ◽  
Meredith F. Yarbrough ◽  
David W. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Survey Research ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Methodological Issue ◽  
Response Rates ◽  
Survey Response ◽  
Return Rates ◽  
Mail Surveys ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Postal Mail

The use of email and fax communications has increased dramatically over the last decade. They are now commonplace methods of information exchange. Most research involving questionnaires has used postal mail to deliver and return the surveys from recipients who might not otherwise be reached through live administration. A frequent methodological issue with mail surveys is low levels of return rates. The present research compared the return rates of a survey that was sent by mail, email or fax. Participants could return the survey by any of the same three methods. The results showed that postal mail and email exhibited higher return rates than facsimiles and that the method of return tended to be the same method in which the questionnaire was originally sent. Implications of these results for survey research are discussed.

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