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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Do Postal Stamps (Still) Lead to a Higher Response Rate? An Empirical Test in Belgium
Contributor:
Hooghe, Marc;
Stiers, Dieter
imprint:
SAGE Publications, 2023
Published in:Field Methods
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1177/1525822x211072350
ISSN:
1525-822X;
1552-3969
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
<jats:p> When conducting a postal survey, a traditional recommendation is to use paper postage stamps instead of an automated postage system, to make sure that invitations have a more personal and attractive appearance. In this research note, we investigate whether this traditional recommendation is still valid. In the autumn of 2020, a postal survey was conducted among high-school teachers in Belgium strictly adhering to the Dillman protocol. The overall response rate was 43.4%. Invitations with a real paper postage stamp had a three-percentage points higher response rate (44.9% versus 41.8%), but this difference proved not to be significant. There are no significant gender or age differences between the groups. In addition, the presence or absence of a paper stamp did not influence the respondents’ choice for answering the questionnaire online or on paper, as those who received a stamped envelope were equally likely to choose the online answering tool. </jats:p>