Enhancing survey response rates at the executive level: Are employee- or consumer-level techniques effective?

Firm-level data from executives are necessary for testing many theories in organizational science. To date, researchers who have used survey methods to get data from executives have relied on response-rate techniques that were validated in general public, customer-, or employee-level populations. In a factorial field experiment, we manipulated the four most strongly supported of these techniques: incentives (gifts), advance notice, follow-up, and personalization. We also examined firm size as a potential moderator of their effects. In addition, we tested whether these response-rate enhancements affected the psychometric quality (acquiescence, self-presentation bias) of the executive survey data. Despite high statistical power (n = 1,200, 1 - beta greater than or equal to .95), none of the conventional response-rate enhancement techniques were effective. Small influences on response acquiescence were found but these were confined to questions that arguably had the strongest demand cites. We conclude that distinctly different techniques may be needed to generate interest and involvement among executives targeted by firm-level mail surveys, and it,e provide some suggestions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.