Timing Is Everything: Discreetly Discouraging Mobile Survey Response Through the Timing of E-mail Contacts
Ashley Richards
RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC
Amanda Smith
RTI International
Bonnie Shook-Sa
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Marcus Berzofsky
RTI International
The proportion of web survey responses submitted from mobile devices is increasing. This trend is problematic because mobile responses are associated with increased breakoffs, item nonresponse, and other data quality issues. Survey practitioners typically prefer that respondents not respond via mobile devices. In this paper we evaluate a strategy for discretely discouraging mobile responding. The Campus Climate Survey Validation Study Pilot Test is a survey of over 23,000 college students at nine U.S. institutions of higher education. Although schedules vary, we suspect college students are less likely to respond via mobile devices during certain times of the day than others. Using data on the day and time a response was submitted as well as the day and time a respondent was last emailed a request to complete the survey, we identify the times that are most likely to result in non-mobile responses. Because web survey response typically spikes immediately after invitations and reminders are sent, the findings of our research can be used to carefully time email contacts in an attempt to discretely discourage mobile responding among a college student sample.