ABSTRACT
Self-administered mail surveys permit inclusion of a greater number of respondents across a wider geographic area with lower costs than do personal or telephone interviews. In order to obtain as many responses as possible, a number of strategies can be used. First, careful attention should be paid to developing a letter that explains the purpose of the study and the respondents’ contribution to it. Also, the format of the questionnaire should be straightforward, making it easy for the respondents to follow and respond. Mailing a second copy of the questionnaire to the nonrespondents often will substantially increase the overall response rate, which will help reduce non-response bias. Compared with other studies requiring mail-back questionnaires, the ratio of questionnaires returned was quite favorable. The mail-back rates were nearly equal when schools with an enrollment over ten thousand were compared to those under ten thousand.
