Is it what you say , or how you say it ? An experimental analysis of the effects of invitation wording for online

Survey practitioners employ various reward and incentive structures directed at respondents in order to maximize response rates. For online and postal surveys, an aspect of this engagement with respondents is the use of covering letters requesting participation. In this research note, we report the results of a quasi-experimental research design, in which respondents to an online survey are re-contacted and asked to participate in an additional survey. We formulate 8 different email ‘cover letters’ that tap into three dimensions of variation: altruistic-egoistic appeals, formal-informal writing styles, and linguistically simplecomplex formulations. We analyze the differential effects stemming from cover letter variation, finding that linguistically simple formulations and altruistic appeals register highest response rates. EFFECTS OF INVITATION WORDING FOR ONLINE SURVEYS! 3

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