The cover letter

One of the most crucial components of a survey

The cover letter affects the likelihood that study participants will complete the questionnaire as intended. When creating cover letters, a welcoming tone should be employed, and the information should be kept as brief as possible. The letters serve as persuasion tools to persuade the respondents to provide their input for the study. The reaction of the target respondents towards participation in the research depends on the relevance of the information presented in the cover letter, for instance, the amount of time that the process will take as well as the promise of the rights of the participants to be maintained. The main components of the letter include a description of the study and its sponsors, identification of the incentives, encouragement for the prompt response, and the promise of confidentiality as well as contact with the researcher.

Incentives

Incentives are motivational materials provided to the respondents to encourage their participation in a research exercise. The incentives include postage stamps, trading stamps, key rings, and ballpoint pens among others. Provision of nonmonetary incentives increases the participation level of the target respondents. High monetary incentives are considered to be more effective as compared to the small ones. On average, the target respondents would not be willing to spend substantial time in participating in research that they are not quite familiar with. As such, the introduction of gifts and presents during and after the participation would give them another reason to be engaged. The improved response rate for nonmonetary incentives is considerably lower as compared to the situation when monetary incentives are involved.

Works Cited

“Mail Survey Cover Letters And Email Invitations.” Statpac.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 7 Sept. 2017.

“Survey Research Incentives.”Statpac.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 7 Sept. 2017.