Web-Based Survey Response Rates: A Meta-Analysis of Proportion Data

• In Event: Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis SIG Poster Session 1

Abstract

The main challenge for Web-based surveys is to obtain high response rates, which is critical to the generalizability of survey results. This study examines the effects of factors associated with response rates using meta-analytic techniques. The process of synthesizing proportion data (response rates), which has not been discussed much in Education, will be illustrated. Based on 378 response rates from the surveys found in the studies published between 2007 and 2011, the average web-survey response rate was 35.1% when adopting a random-effects model. Year of publication, funding status, domain of research, and platform for conducting the survey had significant impact on the rates. The full analyses will be perform based on the studies published from 2007 to 2012.

Authors

• Meng-Jia Wu, Loyola University Chicago

• Lei Zhao, Shedd Aquarium