{"id":{"repo_id":"msu","oai_identifier":"oai:d.lib.msu.edu:etd_1108"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/msu/oai:d.lib.msu.edu:etd_1108","repository":{"repo_id":"msu","name":"Michigan State University","base_url":"https://d.lib.msu.edu/oai"},"display":{"title":"Surveys as communication : it's not just what you ask, but how you ask it","abstract":"As survey rates decline, survey researchers must consider the factors leading to reductions in response rates, especially the respondent's survey-taking experience. This research sought to study the effects of question type and involvement on a number of outcomes of survey participation. Respondents participated in an online survey experiment about one of four issues (universal health care, same-sex marriage, copyrighted music file-sharing, or space exploration) in one of two question formats (open- or closed-ended). Regression analysis was used to test the effect of these variables on time to complete the survey, feelings of self-expression, fatigue, survey enjoyment, willingness to endorse a related campaign, and willingness to participate in a future survey. Results demonstrate that using open-ended survey questions may increase the self-expression of the respondent. This increase in self-expression may lead to more survey enjoyment and a greater willingness to participate in future surveys. This study also found that asking open-ended survey questions may interact with self-expression to increase the willingness of the respondent to endorse a campaign related to the topic covered in the survey. While neither outcome- nor value-relevant involvement appeared to have strong effects on variables of interest, topic appeared to have an important role. Implications of these findings and considerations for future research are discussed.","abstract_html":"As survey rates decline, survey researchers must consider the factors leading to reductions in response rates, especially the respondent's survey-taking experience. This research sought to study the effects of question type and involvement on a number of outcomes of survey participation. Respondents participated in an online survey experiment about one of four issues (universal health care, same-sex marriage, copyrighted music file-sharing, or space exploration) in one of two question formats (open- or closed-ended). Regression analysis was used to test the effect of these variables on time to complete the survey, feelings of self-expression, fatigue, survey enjoyment, willingness to endorse a related campaign, and willingness to participate in a future survey. Results demonstrate that using open-ended survey questions may increase the self-expression of the respondent. This increase in self-expression may lead to more survey enjoyment and a greater willingness to participate in future surveys. This study also found that asking open-ended survey questions may interact with self-expression to increase the willingness of the respondent to endorse a campaign related to the topic covered in the survey. While neither outcome- nor value-relevant involvement appeared to have strong effects on variables of interest, topic appeared to have an important role. Implications of these findings and considerations for future research are discussed.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Risner, Geneviève"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Levine, Timothy","Bergan, Daniel","Park, Hee Sun","Kaplowitz, Stanley"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011","date_published":"2011","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:17:09Z","subjects":["Surveys","Psychological aspects","Public opinion"],"languages":["English"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["etd:1108","isbn:9781124593197","isbn:1124593195","oclc:931839537","umi:3450526","local:Risner_grad.msu_0128D_10316"],"render_values":[{"text":"etd:1108","href":null,"code":true},{"text":"isbn:9781124593197","href":null,"code":true},{"text":"isbn:1124593195","href":null,"code":true},{"text":"oclc:931839537","href":null,"code":true},{"text":"umi:3450526","href":null,"code":true},{"text":"local:Risner_grad.msu_0128D_10316","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/doi:10.25335/wk6d-1568","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Levine, Timothy","Bergan, Daniel","Park, Hee Sun","Kaplowitz, Stanley"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Risner, Geneviève"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2011"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Electronic Theses & Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Theses"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Surveys","Psychological aspects","Public opinion"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["etd:1108","isbn:9781124593197","isbn:1124593195","oclc:931839537","umi:3450526","local:Risner_grad.msu_0128D_10316","https://doi.org/doi:10.25335/wk6d-1568"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["As survey rates decline, survey researchers must consider the factors leading to reductions in response rates, especially the respondent's survey-taking experience. This research sought to study the effects of question type and involvement on a number of outcomes of survey participation. Respondents participated in an online survey experiment about one of four issues (universal health care, same-sex marriage, copyrighted music file-sharing, or space exploration) in one of two question formats (open- or closed-ended). Regression analysis was used to test the effect of these variables on time to complete the survey, feelings of self-expression, fatigue, survey enjoyment, willingness to endorse a related campaign, and willingness to participate in a future survey. Results demonstrate that using open-ended survey questions may increase the self-expression of the respondent. This increase in self-expression may lead to more survey enjoyment and a greater willingness to participate in future surveys. This study also found that asking open-ended survey questions may interact with self-expression to increase the willingness of the respondent to endorse a campaign related to the topic covered in the survey. While neither outcome- nor value-relevant involvement appeared to have strong effects on variables of interest, topic appeared to have an important role. Implications of these findings and considerations for future research are discussed.","Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Communication, 2011","Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-82)"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["viii, 82 pages","application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Surveys as communication : it's not just what you ask, but how you ask it"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Levine, Timothy","Bergan, Daniel","Park, Hee Sun","Kaplowitz, Stanley"],"dc:creator":["Risner, Geneviève"],"dc:date":["2011"],"dc:description":["As survey rates decline, survey researchers must consider the factors leading to reductions in response rates, especially the respondent's survey-taking experience. This research sought to study the effects of question type and involvement on a number of outcomes of survey participation. Respondents participated in an online survey experiment about one of four issues (universal health care, same-sex marriage, copyrighted music file-sharing, or space exploration) in one of two question formats (open- or closed-ended). Regression analysis was used to test the effect of these variables on time to complete the survey, feelings of self-expression, fatigue, survey enjoyment, willingness to endorse a related campaign, and willingness to participate in a future survey. Results demonstrate that using open-ended survey questions may increase the self-expression of the respondent. This increase in self-expression may lead to more survey enjoyment and a greater willingness to participate in future surveys. This study also found that asking open-ended survey questions may interact with self-expression to increase the willingness of the respondent to endorse a campaign related to the topic covered in the survey. While neither outcome- nor value-relevant involvement appeared to have strong effects on variables of interest, topic appeared to have an important role. Implications of these findings and considerations for future research are discussed.","Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Communication, 2011","Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-82)"],"dc:format":["viii, 82 pages","application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["etd:1108","isbn:9781124593197","isbn:1124593195","oclc:931839537","umi:3450526","local:Risner_grad.msu_0128D_10316","https://doi.org/doi:10.25335/wk6d-1568"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:relation":["Electronic Theses & Dissertations"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:subject":["Surveys","Psychological aspects","Public opinion"],"dc:title":["Surveys as communication : it's not just what you ask, but how you ask it"],"dc:type":["Text","Theses"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:17:09Z"}