Effects of Cover Letter Subject Line and Open-ended Question Response Area on Responding to an Internet Survey

Abstract

To ensure the validity of the data and conclusions derived from internet questionnaires, researchers must understand the implications different questionnaire design decisions have for their data. This paper describes an internet-based survey in which the text of the email cover-letter subject line and the size of response area provided for open-ended question responses were manipulated. This study showed that the offer of a food incentive in the subject line yielded fewer responses. Meanwhile, a larger (six line) text box yielded significantly more words than a smaller (one line) text box, but the larger text box did not yield any increase in the number of topics addressed in the open-ended response data. Finally, open-ended questions soliciting negative comments yielded significantly more words than did questions seeking positive comments.