Mail Surveys

Responsive Management designs survey questionnaires collaboratively based on close consultation, discussion, and review with the client. After the design of the questionnaire, the survey instrument is pretested to check for proper wording, answer sets, question-flow, and logistical clarity. Revisions are made to the survey instrument after the pretest before the actual implementation of the survey. Many research firms cut costs by failing to rigorously pretest their survey instruments, which results in poor data collection. Responsive Management always conducts full evaluative pretests of survey instruments.

Mail surveys are effective in a variety of settings, most notably when contacting named respondents, when contacting respondents who are unlikely or unwilling to respond by telephone or other media, or when delivering some sort of stimulus about which a response will be measured. Responsive Management designs hard copy paper surveys; provides services for printing and layout of surveys; coordinates printing and assembly; and distributes surveys via postal mail. Responsive Management’s mail surveys are distributed to random samples of residents using Address-Based Sampling with an accompanying letter of intent explaining the purpose of the survey and the importance of the respondent’s participation.

The proper implementation of a mail survey is crucial to obtaining accurate and reliable data. Responsive Management conducts mail surveys in at least three waves. First, the survey is mailed to the entire sample with an accompanying letter of intent explaining the purpose of the survey and the importance of each respondent’s participation. Second, approximately two to four weeks later, reminder letters are sent to respondents who have not returned the survey within the requested time period. Additional copies of the survey are sent to respondents with the reminder letter; contact information is also included with the reminder letter from which a replacement copy of the survey can be requested. Finally, another wave of reminder letters and copies of the survey are sent to respondents who have not returned the survey.

Completed and returned mail survey data are entered into computers by our staff of professional interviewers. Responsive Management’s survey center managers and statisticians maintain quality control edits and accuracy checks during the data collection process. Strict quality control audits are always used to ensure accuracy and completeness during the entire data entry process.

Over the past three decades, Responsive Management has conducted numerous mail surveys on a range of natural resource and outdoor recreation issues.