The impact of cover design and first questions on response rates for a mail survey of sky divers

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Abstract
The appearance of the front cover on a mail questionnaire and the nature of the first questions have been purported to have an important influence on the respondent's decision to complete the questionnaire. Presumably, the more attractive or relevant the cover design and the easier the first questions, the more likely is completion. This assertion was experimentally tested in a mail survey of skydivers in which four randomly selected groups received a variation of cover design (plain versus graphic) and first question type (behavior versus cognitive‐analytical). The comparison of response rates and speed of response by treatment revealed no significant differences, although the graphic cover in combination with the cognitive‐analytical question did produce a slightly higher response rate.