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Public Opinion Quarterly 57:289-304 (1993)
© 1993 American Association for Public Opinion Research

EFFECTS OF QUESTIONNAIRE LENGTH, RESPONDENT-FRIENDLY DESIGN, AND A DIFFICULT QUESTION ON RESPONSE RATES FOR OCCUPANT-ADDRESSED CENSUS MAIL SURVEYS

DON A. DILLMAN, professor and director, MICHAEL D. SINCLAIR, mathematical statistician and JON R. CLARK, chief of the Census Data Quality Branch

The Social Economic Sciences Research Center, Washington State University, and senior survey methodologist at the U.S. Bureau of the Census
National Analysts, formerly a mathematical statistician of the Census Data Quality Branch, Decennial Statistical Studies Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census
Decennial Statistical Studies Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census

An experimental study of alternatives to the current U.S. decennial census questionnaire shows that shortening the questionnaire and respondent-friendly questionnaire design improve response, whereas asking a potentially difficult and/or objectionable question, that is, social security number, lowers response. This national study of 17,000 household addresses also demonstrates that relatively high mail survey response can be achieved without addressing correspondence to individual names of residents.


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