The Utilization of Mail Questionnaires and the Problem of a Representative Return Rate
| DOI | 10.1177/106591296601900105 |
| Author | William J. Crotty |
| Date | 01 March 1966 |
| Published date | 01 March 1966 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
44
THE
UTILIZATION
OF
MAIL
QUESTIONNAIRES
AND
THE
PROBLEM
OF
A
REPRESENTATIVE
RETURN
RATE
WILLIAM
J.
CROTTY
University
of
Georgia
N
1962
a
survey
was
conducted
by
the
Political
Studies
Program
of
the
Depart-
t
ment
of
Political
Science
of
the
University
of
North
Carolina.
This
was
based
on
a
mail
questionnaire
and
in
general
replicated
an
earlier
study.
The
response
rate
to
both
surveys
was
good.
What
accounted
for
the
high
return
rate?
How
repre-
sentative
of
the
population
contacted
were
the
returns?
How
well
completed
were
the
questionnaires?
What
was
the
cost
of
the
mail
survey
in
comparison
with
other
interview
approaches?
And
what
does
this
suggest
about
the
use
of
mail
question-
naires
in
future
research?
These
questions
will
be
addressed
in
this
paper.
The
project
in
question
was
an
analysis
of
party
organization
in
North
Carolina
in
the
fall
and
winter
of
1962-63
by
the
Political
Studies
Program.
This
study
was
similar
to
an
earlier
one
conducted
by
the
Program
in
the
spring
and
fall
of
1959
and
was
primarily
concerned
with
exploring
the
role
of
the
county
chairmen
within
the
state
party
system.
The
questionnaires
were
designed
to
elicit
information
as
to
the
social
and
political
backgrounds
of
the
county
chairmen,
the
functions
of
their
office,
the
extent
of
party
organization
within
the
county,
pre-election
and
inter-campaign
activities,
the
financial
bases
of
support
of
the
county
organization,
and
the
degree
of
interaction
with
the
other
levels
of
the
party.
The
return
percentage
for
the
1959
survey
was
90.4
per
cent
and
for
the
1962
one,
88.2
per
cent.
PROBLEMS
IN
QUESTIONNAIRE
CONSTRUCTION
AND
THEIR
RESOLUTION
A
number
of
considerations
precede
the
use
of
mail
questionnaires
for
research
purposes.
A
mail
survey
is
especially
feasible
when
the
population
to
be
studied
is
relatively
homogeneous,
when
this
population
is
distributed
over
a
relatively
wide
and
a
relatively
equi-distant
or
dispersed
geographical
area,
and
when
financial
re-
sources
are
limited.
Once
the
research
technique
is
decided
upon,
the
focus
is
on
constructing
an
instrument
capable
of
securing
the
data
sought
and
on
the
manner
of
stimulating
a
meaningful
response.
In
a
mail
survey,
the
latter
is
particularly
important.
There
is
virtually
no
literature
on
the
middle
stratum
of
party
functionaries
at
the
state
level.
Thus
an
extra
burden
was
placed
on
the
study
personnel
in
designing
questions
relevant
to
the
phenomena
under
analysis.
The
rigidity
of
form
inherent
in
a
mail
survey,
the
absence
of
any
possible
face-to-face
communication,
and
the
necessary
emphasis
on
clarity
all
underscore
the
need
for
only
the
most
pertinent
of
NoTE:
The
research
project
on
which
this
paper
is
based
was
made
possible
by
a
grant
from
the
Maurice
and
Laura
Falk
Foundation
to
the
Political
Studies
Program.
A
Dissertation
Year
Grant
by
the
Southern
Fellowship
Fund
enabled
the
author
to
execute
the
study.
It
was
conducted
under
the
supervision
of
Professors
James
W.
Prothro
and Donald
R.
Matthews,
whose
help
is
gratefully
acknowledged.
To continue reading
Request your trial