Testing Mail Notification Strategies for an Internet Response Option in the American Community Survey
Mary C. Davis
U.S. Census Bureau
Rachel Horwitz
U.S. Census Bureau
Michelle Ruiter
U.S. Census Bureau
Jennifer Guarino Tancreto
U.S. Census Bureau
Mary Frances Zelenak
U.S. Census Bureau
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an on-going monthly survey that collects demographic, social, economic and housing information about the people and housing units in the United States and Puerto Rico using three sequential modes of data collection mail, telephone and personal visit. The U.S. Census Bureau initially contacts households by mail to inform them about the ACS and provide the paper questionnaire. Later, telephone calls and personal visits are used to contact nonrespondents. In response to the cultural shift in communication from paper to electronic modes, the U.S. Census Bureau tested the use of an Internet response option for the ACS during the April 2011 mail collection period. The focus was on testing different strategies for informing households about the Internet response option and encouraging response by using variations of the current mail materials and methods. The strategies included changes to the messages on the current letters and questionnaires, the addition of a new informational postcard and modifications of the current mailing schedule. This paper will discuss the results of the April 2011 Internet test, specifically the impact of the different strategies on self-response, as well as recommendations for future testing.
