Distributing a survey using Every Door Direct Mail in an ideal use case

Bibliographic Data

ID4563779
AuthorsJacob C White (0009-0000-4627-1971), Jacob White (0000-0002-3557-3568, Michigan State University), Douglas L Bessette (0000-0001-7709-8518, Michigan State University)
Year2025
Volume18
Issue2
Pages89-100
Publication date2025-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMethodological Innovations (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2059-7991 • E-ISSN: 2059-7991
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/20597991251329754
OpenAlexW4409707508
LanguageEN
References cited45

While paper mail-based surveys avoid much of the risk of bots and fraudulent data, they suffer from lower response rates and ever-inflating material and logistical costs. In response, there is a nascent, but growing literature investigating a lower cost, explicitly anonymous, mail-based survey distribution method called Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). This study contributes to this growing body of literature by using EDDM to disseminate a sequential mixed-mode census-style survey that meets best use-case recommendations per past research. We make several design alterations to elicit higher response rates including using an outer envelope and cash incentive. The survey, distributed near large-scale solar developments in three urban Michigan communities (~1554 households), was geographically based, targeted a specific and limited population, and covered the potentially sensitive topic of local solar development, which may have also led to a higher response rate. The survey achieved an overall response rate of 10.2% with 158 complete surveys returned, demonstrating this work's usefulness, use case, and flexibility

Computer security · Ideal (ethics · Political science · Computer Science · Human Mobility and Location-Based Analysis · Mobile Crowdsensing and Crowdsourcing · Survey Methodology and Nonresponse

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Open DOIOpen Access