Introducing Web in a Telephone Employee Survey: Effects on Nonresponse and Costs

Abstract

Abstract Policy decisions in business and economic fields are often informed by surveys of employees. Many employee surveys use costly interviewer-administered modes to reach this special population. However, certain employee subgroups may be especially hard to reach using these modes. Thus, besides high administration costs, nonresponse bias is a concern. To reduce costs and potential nonresponse bias, some employee surveys have introduced web as part of a sequential mixed-mode design. However, the impact of introducing web on response rates, nonresponse bias, and costs in employee surveys is understudied. The present study addresses this research gap by analyzing a mode design experiment in which employees selected for a national survey in Germany were randomly assigned to a single-mode telephone design or a sequential web-telephone mixed-mode design. The study revealed four main findings. First, introducing the web mode significantly increased the response rate compared to the single-mode design. Second, despite the higher response rate, aggregate nonresponse bias was higher in the mixed-mode design than in the single-mode design. Third, the likelihood of web participation varied across certain employee subgroups, including occupation type and employment contract. Lastly, potential cost savings were evident under the mixed-mode design.