Improving Return Rates on Equal Opportunity Surveys

摘要

Return rates for both civilian and military surveys have been declining for the last several years. The present report examines possible causes and solutions to this problem for military equal opportunity surveys. A review of the civilian and military literature shows that several factors influence return rate: multiple contacts (including pre-notification and follow-ups), a user-friendly salient survey, postage, incentives, and survey length. This report recommends that the military might increase the return rates of equal opportunity surveys by making greater use of Web-based surveys, using multiple contacts, shortening their surveys, considering unique incentives, and considering more localized surveys.