Better Formatting for Lower Response Burden

Written by:
SM97-02

Introduction

Completing a survey is often a novel experience for respondents. In interviewer-administered surveys, a trained interviewer leads respondents through the set of questions. However, in a self-administered mail questionnaire, instructions serve as a compass that helps respondents navigate through a survey. To efficiently guide respondents through the response task, the instructions must be clear and understandable to respondents from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Page Last Revised - February 11, 2025