Cost:
– Self-administered surveys, in general, are less expensive than surveys conducted through
personal interviews. This applies to both computer-delivered and intercept surveys, as well as
mail surveys. The prices of calling and sending letters are roughly the same, yet in some
circumstances, one may be less expensive than the other. Self-administered surveys through
computer or mail are more likely to be the low-cost approach the more geographically dispersed
the sample is. Because it is frequently provided by mail or computer, a postal or computer-
delivered research can be cheaper.
Sample Accessibility:
– Researchers can contact people who would otherwise be inaccessible if they used mail self-
administered surveys. Gatekeepers (secretaries, office managers, and assistants) limit access to
some groups, such as top corporate leaders and physicians, making it difficult to contact them in
person or over the phone. However, researchers may usually reach out to these unique
volunteers via mail or computer. When the researcher does not have a specific person to
contact—for example, in a study of corporations—the survey may be sent to the right
participant through mail or computer.
Time Constraints:
– Although participants in intercept studies are still pressured to respond quickly, they can spend
more time in a mail survey to collect facts, consult with others, or think about responses more
thoroughly than they can in a telephone survey or a personal interview. Computer-delivered
studies, particularly those accessed via e-mail connections to the Internet, frequently contain
access and completion time limits once started. And, once started, computer-delivered studies
are rarely interrupted by participants seeking information that isn’t instantly available.
Anonymity
– Mail surveys are often thought to be more impersonal. providing greater anonymity than other
channels of communication, such as various methods of disseminating self-administered
questionnaires Although rising privacy concerns may undermine this image in the future,
computer-delivered surveys still have the same apparent anonymity.
Topic Coverage
– The type and amount of information that may be protected is a fundamental constraint of self–
administered surveys. Normally, researchers do not anticipate to collect vast amounts of data
and are unable to delve thoroughly into themes. Unless they sense a personal gain, participants
will generally refuse to cooperate with a long and/or sophisticated postal, computer-delivered,
or intercept questionnaire. This problem is evidenced by returned mail questionnaires with
many questions unaddressed, however there are many exceptions.
Maximizing Participation in the Self-Administered Survey
– To increase the overall likelihood of response, pay close attention to each step in the survey
process where the response may falter. For example
➢ sending an e-mail or postal message to the wrong address can result in non-delivery or non-
return.
➢ The envelope or fax cover sheet may appear to be junk mail and be discarded without being
opened, or the subject line on an e-mail may appear to be spam and discourage the recipient
from opening the e-mail.
➢ Nonresponse may result from a lack of clear directions for completion.
➢ The wrong individual may open the letter, receive the fax, or receive the e-mail and fail to bring
it to the attention of the intended recipient.
Self-Administered Survey Trends
– Intranet capabilities are now being used by businesses to assess employee policies and
behavior. Large and small enterprises can employ computer surveys with both internal and
external participant groups due to the ease of access to electronic mail systems. Many classic
mail survey procedures can simply be transferred to computer-delivered questionnaires (e.g..
follow-ups to nonparticipants are more easily executed and are less expensive).
– On World Wide Web sites, it is not uncommon to discover registration requirements and full-
scale surveying. Prospective students are asked about their interests on university websites, and
university departments are reviewing current students’ use of online materials. Organizations
use their websites to evaluate customer service processes, build sales-lead lists, evaluate
planned promotions and product changes, determine supplier and customer needs, discover
interest in job openings, evaluate employee attitudes, and more, according to a quick search on
