Surveys as communication : it's not just what you ask, but how you ask it

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.

Author dc:creator

• Risner, Geneviève

Contributors dc:contributor

• Levine, Timothy
• Bergan, Daniel
• Park, Hee Sun
• Kaplowitz, Stanley

• Surveys
• Psychological aspects
• Public opinion

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

etd:1108
isbn:9781124593197
isbn:1124593195
oclc:931839537
umi:3450526
local:Risner_grad.msu_0128D_10316

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:d.lib.msu.edu:etd_1108