Keywords
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Abstract
As part of the Savvy Survey Series, this publication provides Extension faculty with an overview of the process that uses mail for sending and receiving questionnaires. Mail surveys can be an effective way to collect data for needs assessments in program planning or for follow-up surveys evaluating outcomes of Extension programs. Survey research consistently shows that mail surveys usually obtain as high or higher response rates than other methods. This fact sheet provides guidance for constructing the questionnaire, addressing visual design and formatting considerations, and implementing the survey. Extension faculty who incorporate best practices of questionnaire design and mail survey procedures will be able to achieve a high response rate and collect more useful data than those who don’t use these best practices. This 9-page fact sheet was written by Glenn D. Israel and Jessica L. Gouldthorpe, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, October 2013.
AEC401/PD075: The Savvy Survey #11: Mail-Based Surveys (ufl.edu)
References
Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., and Christian, L. M. (2009). Internet, Mail, and Mixed-mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method. (3rd ed.) Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
Gaul, S. A., Hochmuth, R. C., Israel, G. D., & Treadwell, D. (2009). Characteristics of Small Farm Operators in Florida: Economics, Demographics, and Preferred Information Channels and Sources. Gainesville: UF/IFAS. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc088.
Israel, G. D., Easton, J. O., and Knox, G. W. (1999). "Adoption of Landscape Management Practices by Florida Citizens. Hort Technology 9(2):262-266.
Israel, G. D. (2010). "Effects of Answer Space Size on Responses to Open-ended Questions in Mail Surveys." Journal of Official Statistics 26(2):271-285.
Israel, G. D. (2013). "Combining Mail and E-mail Contacts to Facilitate Participation in Mixed-mode Surveys." Social Science Computer Review 31 (3):346-358. http://ssc.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/11/26/0894439312464942.
Messer, B. L., and Dillman, D. A. (2011). "Using Address-based Sampling to Survey the General Public by Mail vs. Web Plus Mail." Public Opinion Quarterly 75(3):429-457. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfr021