Response rate

Measure used to evaluate and compare interviewers with respect to their ability to induce contacted respondents to participate in the study. It is measured in terms of percentage of the total attempted interviews that are completed. Response rates have been found to vary from one method of administration to another. Personal interviews generate highest level of response rates, followed by telephonic interviews and then mail surveys. Low response rates can lead to serious bias (nonresponse bias), because whether a person responds to a survey is related to his or her interest in the topic. The magnitude of nonresponse bias increases as the response rate decreases. Internet surveys were found to elicit the least response. Callbacks and reminders may increase the response rates to considerable extent.