UTJECAJ DUŽINE UPITNIKA NA ANKETNI ODZIV
EFFECT OF QUESTIONNAIRE LENGTH ON SURVEY RESPONSE RATE

Summary/Abstract: It is generally assumed that questionnaire length has a significant effect on survey response rate. However, the empirical findings are equivocal. One of the reasons is that various authors use different operational definitions of questionnaire length. Studies that define length as the number of questions and/or pages usually show a negative relationship between questionnaire length and response rates. When questionnaire length is defined by its physical format, the same number of questions printed on smaller-sized paper, but also on a larger number of pages would yield bigger response rates. The duration of interview in minutes can be positively related to its relevance for respondents, which in turn has a positive effect on the response rate. Many authors claim that response rates are influenced by subjective rather than objective indices of questionnaire length. Perception of length is often moderated by various other characteristics of the survey situation, such as respondents' interest in the topic of the survey and use of financial or other incentives. A complete theory of survey behavior is needed in order to better understand and generalize the empirical findings.

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