Student survey response: use of SMS in higher education to encourage survey participation

Abstract

Surveys have been an integral mode of data collection for various industries and disciplines. Recently, a downward trend of response rates has been reported. Survey methodology has attempted to mitigate low response rates through various interventions with some degree of success. Electronic surveys, primarily Email, have gained popularity due to their low-cost and easy implementation. A newer style of contact method is now available due to smartphones and their capabilities. This research set out to explore the feasibility of Short Message Service (SMS) communication with an undergraduate student population. Participants (N = 732) were equally divided among three pre-notification levels (none, SMS, and Email), two survey delivery modes (SMS and Email), and three different follow-up reminder sequences (no reminder, one reminder, and three reminders). It was predicted that overall response rates would be different between the two modes of survey delivery, that pre-notification will increase overall response rates, and lastly number of follow-up contact attempts will be positively correlated with response rates. The population under investigation were primarily undergraduate students at an upper Midwest college. Analyses indicates that none of the interventions worked better than another.