Web versus mail: The influence of survey distribution mode on employees' response

Abstract

Despite organizations' widespread Internet use and ready availability of Web survey software, few studies have examined explicitly the impact on employees' responses of using the Web as opposed to mail-based surveys (MBS). This article addresses this gap using an employee attitude survey distributed to a 50% systematic sample of 3,338 employees by mail, the remaining employees receiving the survey via a Web link. Although the return rate for the Web (49.1%) was higher than for mail (33.5%), the quality of Web returns was reduced by a higher number of partial responses and abandonments. Taking into account effect size, significant differences in response were small other than for open question content. Recommendations regarding use of Web-based surveys (WBS) are offered and areas for future research suggested. © The Author(s) 2012.