Comparing Responses to Mail and Web-based Surveys.

After completing a survey in 2001 for a nonprofit library network, the researcher used the database to study response rates and response consistency between two survey methods. Information on more than 1,400 potential respondents had been collected from the network's database and four other library databases. Half of the librarians (n=699) had provided contact information that included e-mail addresses. A traditional mailing procedure was used to collect information from those who had given only postal contact information (n=730); others received an e-mail survey, with radio buttons and drop-down boxes. The response rates from the two methods were similar, and attitudes toward questions about the use of the Internet did not show a difference between the two groups of respondents. Librarians who responded to the postal survey were more likely to be from smaller institutions. The reliability estimates from each method were well within acceptable ranges, but the postal survey obtained higher values than the Webbased method. However, the amount of missing data was significantly reduced when the Web-based survey was used. An appendix contains the survey instruments. (Contains 5 tables and 24 references.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY L. Idleman TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 C.0 44 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office ot Educational Research and Unprovement alEDUC TIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) his document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Comparing Responses to Mail and Web-based Surveys Lynda Idleman Idleman & Associates 171 6th Street, NE Suite 8 Atlanta, GA 30308 404-815-7280 knowledge@Idleman.corn t oo Paper Presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, April 21-25, 2003 2