Testing a Targeted Refusal Conversion Strategy for an Establishment Web Survey

The paper proposes a strategy for implementing an automated and interactive feature of persuasion for late and nonrespondents in establishment web surveys. The response rate for establishment web surveys is under constant pressure, and strategies to motivate small establishments are particularly costly. Consequently, the tested survey design feature, which emulates the approach of telephone follow-ups in interviewer-administered surveys, offers a potentially new, practical, and cost-effective strategy to counteract these shortcomings. A randomly selected sample of late and nonresponding establishments ( n = 3,000) of a well-established Swiss web survey of establishments was asked to indicate their primary nonresponse reason and was then randomly assigned to one of three appeal types: (1) a targeted appeal addressing their previously indicated nonresponse reason, (2) a general appeal addressing the same reasons as the study’s standard reminder letter, or (3) a main appeal addressing the main reason for nonresponse, “lack of time.” The findings suggest that the type of appeal has no significant impact on response or data quality, whereas the reason given for nonresponse and the timing within the survey period do have an impact. The implications of these findings for survey design research are discussed.