A 13-Year Content Analysis of Survey Methodology in Communication Related Journals

Using content analysis, this study quantitatively analyzes 13 years (1990–2002) of data about survey research methodology in communication journals. Very little research has examined this important method since Yu and Cooper's 1983 study. Of the 54 journals included in our sample, 565 surveys were published in 46 journals. Public relations, marketing, public opinion, advertising and mass communication journals were among those with the greatest number of surveys. Findings and implications focus on how response rates were affected by methodological choices such as the use of incentives and response facilitators. Although monetary incentives were used in a small percentage of the studies, giving merchandise and using a promised incentive were related to the highest mean response rates. While some facilitators, such as utilizing callbacks for telephone surveys, were also associated with high average response rates, further analysis suggests that these factors are not successful in enticing more participants to complete surveys.