Does a QR Code in the Invitation Letter Increase Participation in a Push-to-web Survey

Bibliographic Data

ID5955525
AuthorsClaudia Schmiedeberg (0000-0002-6015-0460, LMU Klinikum), Jette Schröder (0000-0002-1000-5855, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences), Christiane Bozoyan (0000-0003-0205-6924, LMU Klinikum, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume38
Issue3
Pages259-272
Publication date2025-11-11
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCAM (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1087-8513 • E-ISSN: 1552-3969
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1525822x241308522
OpenAlexW7105096020
LanguageEN
References cited18

QR codes are increasingly used in postal invitations to web surveys to facilitate participation. We experimentally tested how a QR code in the invitation letter affects participation in a push-to-web survey of the German family panel (pairfam). The response rate was three percentage points higher with QR codes than without. The QR code effect on response did not differ by gender or education, but it was significantly higher for middle-aged than for younger individuals. Additionally, the proportion of respondents using mobile devices to complete the survey increased substantially. This increase was exclusively due to a 12-percentage-point higher proportion of smartphones, with no increase in the proportion of tablets

Code (set theory · Column (typography · German · Mobile device · Web survey · Mobile Crowdsensing and Crowdsourcing · Social Media in Health Education · Survey Methodology and Nonresponse

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