Increasing response to mailed questionnaires by including a pencil/pen.
Nonmonetary incentives lead to small increases in response rates to mailed questionnaires. However, inclusion of a pen or pencil, which may be a facilitating factor as well as a reward, has not been shown to improve response to health surveys in prior trials. In 2001 and 2002, the authors conducted two US trials in which a study-logo pen or pencil was randomly included in a second questionnaire mailed to nonresponders to a first mailing. In the first study, of 10,686 nonresponders to a cohort recruitment mailing, response to the second mailing was 55% with inclusion of a pen versus 40% without one (p < 0.001). In the second study, of 141 nonresponders to a pilot follow-up survey conducted 2 years after entry into a cohort, response was 43% with inclusion of a pencil versus 24% without one (p = 0.02). This 15-19 percentage point increase for mailing 2 translated to a 5-6 percentage point increase after the two mailings combined. In a simulated study of three mailings based on these studies, the overall response rate increased by 4 percentage points at no added cost through inclusion of a pencil in the second mailing. The additional cost of the pencil was compensated for by the reduced number of nonrespondents sent packets at the third mailing. This study supports including a study-logo pen or pencil in a second questionnaire mailing to nonrespondents as a cost-effective method of increasing response rates.
White
Emily
E
Cancer Prevention Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. ewhite@fhcrc.org
Carney
Patricia A
PA
Kolar
Ann Shattuck
AS
D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003363:Cost Control; D003625:Data Collection / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009513:New Hampshire / Q000453:epidemiology; D011177:Postal Service; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000191:economics; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health