ESRA 2027 sessions by theme

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Session Details

The long-standing trend of declining population survey response rates call for innovation. Transforming respondent communication strategies and materials can be a relatively small investment with high return potential. A multitude of design features, such as appearance, format, tone and content, can affect respondent willingness positively or negatively to complete the survey in less expensive mode(s). The impact might not be limited to cross-sectional surveys or a single wave. It may also affect panel retention in longitudinal surveys across waves and response to other survey requests by the organisation.

In mixed-mode surveys using a probability sample, postal mails remain the main channel for advance, invitation and reminder letters. However, new channels are being increasingly used for effectiveness and cost-saving.

The session seeks submissions including, but not limited to studies on the following topics:

- letter and envelope design features: format, tone and style, messaging, appearance and use of QR-codes,
- novel and innovative channels: e-mail, SMS, eID mailbox,
- respondent communication in longitudinal surveys (within and between waves),
- mailing strategies, protocols and timings,
- implementation of new materials and protocols,
- qualitative and quantitative tests on respondent communications,
and so forth.

The session organisers encourage submissions with additional background on the innovation, development and implementation cycle for a thorough understanding of context, challenges, impact and lessons learnt. Presentations that offer a more complete picture should expect 20 minutes instead of the regular 15 minutes, to enable the necessary depth. The range may span from problems with past practice and/or materials, decisions involved with new communication strategies and channels, considerations in letter design, testing methods and evaluation criteria, to test results, live survey experiences, and future directions.