THE IMPACT OF INCENTIVES AND 3 FORMS OF POSTAGE ON MAIL SURVEY RESPONSE RATES

Mail surveys are an important methodological tool for collecting data for leisure research. Researchers have looked at numerous issues invol ving mail surveys (e.g., the impact of nonresponse bias and of various elements of the mail survey process on response rates). This study in volved an experimental design to test the efficacy of two components o f the mail survey process, different types of postage and the use of i ncentives, to determine their impact on the overall response rate. The manipulation of these two components has proved effective in other ty pes of studies, but with mixed results. The present study used a 3 x 2 factorial design, controlling for three types of postage and the incl usion or exclusion of an incentive. The results indicate the use of in centives did make a positive contribution to the overall response rate , and the use of various types of postage was mixed and not in the exp ected direction.