Mail surveys are questionnaires that are self-administered in the privacy of the respondent's home. Although this technique is one of the least costly survey methods, it least accurately represents the population. Mail surveys have the lowest response rates of all survey techniques used today. A good response rate for a mail survey is typically around 30 percent. Response rates can sometimes be marginally improved through the use of telephone calls, reminder postcards, etc. A five percent or less response rate is not uncommon in mail surveys.
Mail surveys are very limited in terms of what can be asked. Typically the longer the questionnaire, the lower the response rate. Moreover, respondents often fail to follow directions. For example, they may circle two or more responses to a question. This renders the data for that question useless.
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There is little control over who completes and returns the mail questionnaire. In many cases, spouses will complete questionnaires for each other or will fill out the survey together, checking both male and female for the gender column and writing in two ages. Sometimes parents will give surveys to their children to complete, even though the directions specifically ask for the head of household, or the person who makes most of the purchasing decisions, etc. |
