Evaluation of a Mailed Planning Survey

A METHODOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF A MAILED PLANNING SURVEY WAS MADE TO OBTAIN INFORMATION THAT WOULD HELP ASSESS THE APPLICATION OF MAIL SURVEYS FOR PROVIDING PLANNING INFORMATION. THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY WAS LIMITED TO EVALUATING THE COMBINED APPLICATION OF MAIL AND NONMAIL FOLLOW-UP PROCEDURES FOR REDUCING NONRESPONSE AND TOTAL SURVEY COSTS AND TO ASSESSING HOW CRITICAL NONRESPONSE MIGHT BE TO PLANNING SURVEYS. A MAILED PLANNING SURVEY OF A SMALL COMMUNITY POPULATION WAS CONDUCTED USING MAIL, TELEPHONE, AND PERSONAL FOLLOW-UPS. SURVEY RESPONDENTS WERE DETERMINED BY SELECTED SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, AND THE COST AND CONTRIBUTION OF THE FOLLOW-UP PROCEDURES WERE ALSO DETERMINED. THE SURVEY OBTAINED RESIDENTS' OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN COMMUNITY FACILITIES, SERVICES, AND CONDITIONS OVER 12 MAJOR CATEGORIES OF COMMUNITY CONCERN. SURVEY RESPONSE WAS FOUND TO BE MORE STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE RESIDENT TIME OF THE RESPONDENTS THAN IT WAS WITH THEIR AGE, SEX, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, FAMILY STATUS OR SIZE, TENURE, OR TYPE OF DWELLING UNIT. RESPONDENTS WERE FOUND MORE LIKELY THAN NONRESPONDENTS TO BE OLD, LONG-TIME RESIDENTS, AND OWNERS OF SINGLE-UNIT DWELLINGS. NONMAIL FOLLOW-UPS WERE FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE TYPICAL SOCIOECONOMIC BIAS FOUND IN THE RESPONSE TO THE MAIL-OUT PORTIONS. ON THE BASIS OF COST VERSUS INFORMATION OBTAINED, THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE COMBINED USE OF THE MAIL APPROACH WITH MAIL, TELEPHONE, AND PERSONAL FOLLOW-UPS COULD BE COMPARABLE TO THE USE OF OTHER METHODS FOR PLANNING SURVEYS HAVING AN INFORMATIVE PURPOSE.