Does Prenotification Increase Response Rates in Mail Surveys? A Self-Perception Approach
- 1 August 1991
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in The Journal of Social Psychology
- Vol. 131 (4) , 477-481
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1991.9713878
Abstract
The prenotification of respondents is a common practice in both mail and telephone surveys. It is often assumed that such practice increases response rate. This empirical study of Canadian adults, based on a 2 × 2 factorial design, indicates that this was not the case as a general rule; however, when used in conjunction with premiums, prenotification increased response rate among individuals with internal locus of control. This finding is consistent with a cognitive dissonance theory; in particular, it tends to confirm Furse and Stewart's (1982) proposition that prenotification mentally prepares internally controlled individuals better than those externally controlled to fill out a mail questionnaire.Keywords
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