Direction, magnitude and implications of non-response bias in mail surveys

Henry C K Chen

Non-response bias has been criticised for causing error in sample estimates. The study analyses the direction and magnitude of non-response bias in mail surveys.
  

Direction, Magnitude and Implications of Non-response Bias in Mail Surveys

Henry C. K. Chen, The University of West Florida

INTRODUCTION

Mail questionnaire surveys have been used widely to collect research data. Walker Research Inc. (1984, 1988) estimated that about 10% of the 90 million telephone-owning households in the US have participated in mail surveys. The validity of a mail survey depends on the response rate and the representativeness of the sample to its parent population. Many well-designed mail surveys achieved a return greater than 50% (Danbury 1977), yet Yu & Cooper (1983) found that the average response...

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