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Research Tip

Avoid asking a focus group moderator to “just ask” the questions in a discussion guide. Respondents can best recall the information you want to know if they are accessing the stories of their experiences. Interrupting these stories with a question and answer session destroys the flow that can get breakthrough information.

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Our Methods > Mail and Paper Surveys

Mail and Paper Surveys

Mail and paper surveys can take a wide variety of forms, but they commonly consist of a paper survey that is completed and mailed back or returned by hand. We see these with various levels of quality and professionalism at restaurants, in newspapers and in our mail. They are popular because they can be very simple to construct and can often provide data at low cost.

With mail surveys, reaching a response level that assures the data is representative requires multiple mailings, adding to the cost of the survey.

Mail and paper surveys are a good choice if the respondent is someone you know and/or they have an interest in the survey results, such as an existing customers or employees, or members of an organization. We also recommend the use of mail surveys where it is important that every member of the sample get the impression that his or her voice is important.

Advantages of mail and paper surveys include: they can collect a large amount of data and they are not intrusive, as respondents are not interrupted at an inconvenient time - they can respond when they want.

Pros		Cons
Less intrusive than a telephone survey.		No probing to fully understand responses.
Respondents can read and respond quickly – more questions can be posed without respondent fatigue.		The time needed to mail, wait for returns, and do second or third mailings can take longer than any other method — 8 weeks or more.
Can also be a relationship building device – demonstrated interest in feedback.		Obtaining an adequate response rate can be expensive.
Respondents can complete the survey at their own pace and at a time of their convenience.		Respondent self-selection can limit representativeness.
Excellent for respondents that have a stake in survey results – members, satisfaction, etc.		Self-administration by respondents makes clarity of the questions and the survey design of critical importance.