2010 Census Deadline Messaging and Compressed Mailing Schedule Experiment

• Activity Number: 396
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods
• Author(s): Samantha Barron*+
• Companies: U.S. Census Bureau
• Keywords: deadline message ; compressed schedule ; deadline ; compressed ; due date

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to determine if an increase in census mail response and speed of response could be realized (without decreasing data quality) by including a due date or deadline message on various mailing pieces and/or by sending the census mailing pieces closer to Census Day. Panel 1, the Control panel, was mailed according to the production 2010 Census schedule and did not display any due dates or deadline messages. Panels 2 through 5 examined the main effects of four deadline messaging treatments mailed according to the production 2010 Census schedule. Panel 6, the Compressed Schedule panel, was used to evaluate the main effect for the compressed schedule treatment, without an explicit deadline. Under the compressed mailing schedule, the advance letter, initial questionnaire package, and reminder postcard were moved to one week later to reduce the length of time between the mailing and Census Day. Finally, Panels 7 through 10 combined each deadline messaging treatment with the compressed schedule. More research needs to be conducted, but it is evident that deadline messages can improve response without negatively impacting data quality.