ERIC Number: EJ1488082
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Nov
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1525-822X
EISSN: EISSN-1552-3969
Available Date: 0000-00-00
The Effect of Communication Emails on Web Survey Response Rate, Representativeness, and Response Bias: Results from a Factorial Randomized Control Trial in a College Student Population
Paula Clasing-Manquian1,2; John Gonzalez3
Field Methods, v37 n4 p291-304 2025
Web surveys are popular in social sciences for reaching a large audience at a low cost and in a short period. However, response rates and nonresponse bias are still issues of concern. Using a factorial randomized control trial design, this study explores whether different communication emails affect response rates, representativeness, and response bias in a web survey of doctoral students enrolled in a U.S. university. A total of 5,539 doctoral students were stratified and randomly assigned to one of six groups. Results showed that none of the interventions increased the overall response rate. Moreover, interventions affect the representativeness of the sample and are associated with response bias.
Descriptors: Online Surveys, Doctoral Students, Intervention, Response Rates (Questionnaires), Response Style (Tests), Student Behavior, Intention, Barriers, Social Influences
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Faculty of Education, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile; 2Millennium Nucleus Student Experience of Higher Education in Chile: Expectations and Realities, Santiago, Chile; 3Rackham Institutional Research Office, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

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