Affiliations: [a] Survey Research Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA | [b] Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Washington, DC, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Brooke Helppie-McFall, Survey Research Center, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson Street, Room 3481, Ann Arbor 48104, MI, USA. Tel.: +1 734 764 4572; Fax: +1 734 647 1186; E-mail: bhelppie@umich.edu.
Abstract: This study leverages a randomized experimental design of a mixed-mode mail- and web-based survey to examine mode effects separately from sample selectivity issues. Using data from the Cognitive Economics Study, which contains some sensitive financial questions, we analyze two sets of questions: fixed-choice questions posed nearly identically across mode, and dollar-value questions that exploit features available only on web mode. Focusing on differences in item nonresponse and response distributions, our results indicate that, in contrast to mail mode, web mode surveys display lower item nonresponse for all questions. While respondents appear to prefer providing financial information in ranges, use of reminder screens on the web version yields greater use of exact values without large sacrifices in item response. Still, response distributions for all questions are similar across mode, suggesting that data on sensitive financial questions collected from the two modes can be pooled.
Keywords: Survey, mode, web mode, mail mode, item nonresponse, response distribution
