Don A. Dillman

Mail and telephone surveys : the total design method

Develops a theoretically based system guided by principles of social exchange and administration that ensure high quality surveys at low cost. Presents step-by-step procedures and shows why each step is important. Contains many examples and, where appropriate, contrasts acceptable and unacceptable procedures.

Development of a Standard E-Mail Methodology: Results of an Experiment

Review of past E-mail surveys indicates that a method- ology to achieve consistently high response rates similar to those that can be obtained by traditional mail has not been developed. In addition, researchers have tended to use E-mail surveys only for populations with universal E-mail access. This study utilizes knowl- edge from past mail-survey research to develop an E-mail proce- dure. Further, an experiment is conducted to assess the potential for using a multimode strategy to obtain responses from individuals unreachable through E-mail. The multimode approach proved to be successful and techniques shown to be effective in standard mail surveys were also found to be appropriate for an E-mail survey.

International handbook of survey methodology

Foundations. J.J. Hox, E.D. de Leeuw, D. Dillman, The Cornerstones of Survey Research. N. Schwarz, B. Knauper, D. Oyserman, C. Stich, The Psychology of Asking Questions. P. Lynn, The Problem of Nonresponse. J. A. Harkness, Comparative Survey Research: Goal and Challenges. E. Singer, Ethical Issues in Surveys. Design. S.L. Lohr, Coverage and Sampling. E.D. de Leeuw, Choosing the Method of Data Collection. F.J. Fowler, C. Cosenza, Writing Effective Questions. D.A. Dillman, The Logic and Psychology of Constructing Questionnaires. P. Campanelli, Testing Survey Questions. Implementation. G. Loosveldt, Face-to-Face interviews. C. Steeh, Telephone Surveys. E.D. de Leeuw, J.J. Hox, Self-Administered Questionnaires: Mail Surveys and Other Applications. K.L. Manfreda, V. Vehovar, Internet Surveys. D.M. Steiger, B. Conroy, IVR: Interactive Voice Response. E.D. de Leeuw, D.A. Dillman, J.J. Hox, Mixed Mode Surveys: When and Why. Data Analysis. P.P. Biemer, S.L. Christ, Weighting Survey Data. L.M. Stapleton, Analysis of Data from Complex Surveys. S. Rassler, D.B. Rubin, N. Schenker, Incomplete Data: Diagnosis, imputation, and estimation. J.J. Hox, Accommodating Measurement Errors. Special Issues. P. Mohler, B. Pennell, F. Hubbard, Survey documentation: Towards Professional Knowledge Management in Sample Surveys. L.E. Lyberg, P.P. Biemer, Quality Assurance and Quality Control in Surveys. J.T. Lessler, J. Eyerman, K. Wang, Interviewer Training. G. Lensvelt-Mulders, Surveying Sensitive Topics. D. Sikkel, A. Hoogendoorn, Panel Surveys. J. Betlehem, Surveys Without Questions.

EFFECTS OF QUESTIONNAIRE LENGTH, RESPONDENT-FRIENDLY DESIGN, AND A DIFFICULT QUESTION ON RESPONSE RATES FOR OCCUPANT-ADDRESSED CENSUS MAIL SURVEYS

An experimental study of alternatives to the current U.S. decennial census questionnaire shows that shortening the questionnaire and respondent-friendly questionnaire design improve response, whereas asking a potentially difficult and/or objectionable question, that is, social security number, lowers response. This national study of 17000 household addresses also desmonstrates that relatively high mail survey response can be achieved without addressing correspondence to individual names of residents

Increasing Mail Questionnaire Response: A Four State Comparison

Low response rates, poor data quality and the perceived necessity of limiting oneself to only a few questions have contributed to avoidance of mail questionnaires in studies of the general public. The effectiveness of a particular method for eliciting response to lengthy questionnaires was tested on state-wide samples of the general public in Arizona, Indiana, North Carolina, and Washington. The method, which depends on systematically manipulating all aspects of the data collection process produced response rates of from 69. 7 percent to 75.2 percent. It was equally effective in rural and urban regions. The data quality, as measured by item non-response, was uniformly high throughout the 85-165 item questionnaires. Results demonstrate that high response from the general public is possible.(We conclude that poor mail questionnaire return rates can no more be excused than can inadequate theory and/or inappropriate statistics.

Survey Mode as a Source of Instability in Responses across Surveys

Changes in survey mode for conducting panel surveys may contribute significantly to survey error. This article explores the causes and consequences of such changes in survey mode. The authors describe how and why the choice of survey mode often causes changes to be made to the wording of questions, as well as the reasons that identically worded questions often produce different answers when administered through different modes. The authors provide evidence that answers may changeas a result of different visual layouts for otherwise identical questions and suggest ways to keep measurement the same despite changes in survey mode.

Using the Internet to Survey Small Towns and Communities: Limitations and Possibilities in the Early 21st Century

Researchers who are interested in small towns and rural communities in the United States often find that they need to conduct their own sample surveys because many large national surveys, such as the American Community Survey, do not collect enough representative responses to make precise estimates. In collecting their own survey data, researchers face a number of challenges, such as sampling and coverage limitations. This article summarizes those challenges and tests mail and Internet methodologies for collecting data in small towns and rural communities using the U.S. Postal Service’s Delivery Sequence File as a sample frame. Findings indicate that the Delivery Sequence File can be used to sample households in rural locations by sending them invitations via postal mail to respond to either paper-and-pencil or Internet surveys. Although the mail methodology is quite successful, the results for the Internet suggest that Web surveys alone exclude potentially important segments of the population of small towns and rural communities. However, Web surveys supplemented with postal questionnaires produce results quite similar to those of mail-only surveys, representing a possible cost savings for researchers who have access to Web survey capabilities.

Lifestyle and home energy conservation in the United States: the poor accept lifestyle cutbacks while the wealthy invest in conservation

Abstract The extent to which United States consumers have taken lifestyle cutbacks in eleven expenditure areas as a result of higher energy prices is examined. Data are from a general population sample survey of 8,392 households in ten western states, covering approximately 24 percent of all U.S. households. It was found that an index summarizing the extent to which respondents had taken lifestyle cutbacks was somewhat related in a positive direction to making temporary home adjustments to save energy, but was not related to taking permanent home-related energy conservation actions. The findings bring into question whether a market-oriented conservation policy will increase the taking of conservation actions, but also raise a disturbing question about existing tax credit programs.

Residential Preferences, Quality of Life, and the Population Turnaround

The author discusses the role of residential preferences and the search for a better quality of life as determinants of urban-rural migration in the United States

The Effect of Response Categories on Questionnaire Answers Context and Mode Effects

This article reports the effect that the ranges presented in answer categories for survey questions can have on respondent answers. Response categories were manipulated in a split-ballot survey conducted in both telephone and mail modes. These categories, presented in the separate ballots, overlapped in one category; the other categories were unique to each ballot. The experiment was conducted on four questions: two frequent and mundane and two rare and salient. It was found that the response categories significantly affected the response for frequent and mundane questions. One question demonstrated a significant difference in response between the mail and telephone modes. For this question, a response scale with a limited number of socially desirable alternatives resulted in a social desirability effect in the telephone mode. Alternatively, the telephone mode demonstrated an extremeness effect when the response scale comprised a greater number of socially desirable alternatives.