AN ASSESSMENT OF THE RESPONSE RATE VIA THE POSTAL SERVICE AND E-MAIL

An assessment of subscribers to a health education directory was made to determine the response rate between surveys adminstered through the U.S. Postal Service and through electronic mail. surveys requesting i nformation regarding attendance at professional conferences were maile d out via postcards. At the same time, electronic surveys were sent we re sent requesting information regarding subscriptions toward professi onal journals. Respondents who received the postcard survey were nearl y 3 times more likely to complete and return the survey, indicating th at it is still the preferred mode to gather data. The greatest respons e from the e-mail is to be used.