Invitation letters increase response rates in elite surveys: evidence from Germany and the United Kingdom

Giger, Nathalie and Pereira, Miguel ORCID: 0000-0001-6621-9863 (2025) Invitation letters increase response rates in elite surveys: evidence from Germany and the United Kingdom. Journal of Experimental Political Science. ISSN 2052-2630

Text (invitation-letters-increase-response-rates-in-elite-surveys-evidence-from-germany-and-the-united-kingdom) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (206kB)

Abstract

A key challenge when surveying political elites is recruitment. Low response rates can lead to biased samples and underpowered designs, threatening the validity of descriptive and experimental scholarship. In a randomized control trial, we test the effects of sending postal invitations in a large survey of local elected officials. We find that German and UK local politicians are more likely to complete the survey if invited by postal mail, rather than simply by email. Recruitment mode does not impact the quality of responses but shapes the population of local officials recruited. Officials invited via postal letter were more likely to come from smaller municipalities and less likely to have a college degree. Costs per response are relatively high but can be reduced as we learn more about selection into elite surveys.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s)
Divisions:	European Institute
Subjects:	J Political Science J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General) H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date Deposited:	16 May 2025 10:24
Last Modified:	24 Jun 2025 08:51
URI:	http://eprintstest.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/128135

Actions (login required)

View Item