- Email: [email protected]
Improving tourism survey response rates
939
RESEARCH NOTES AND REPORTS
Improving Tourism Survey Response Rates Vern Vincent Gilbert0 de 10s Santos
University of Texas-Pan
American, USA
This tourism research study illustrates several important issues the crosscultural tourism researcher should consider when surveying particularly in developing countries. Two primary considerations for enhancing responses are the data collection technique employed and the type of incentive used to motivate responses. Based on the authors’ prior experiences with the mail survey technique performed in Mexico, a 5-7% return rate is typical. Because of the inefficient Mexican mail service and inaccurate or insuffcient addresses, the response rate for mail questionnaires in Mexico or in any developing country is considered unsatisfactory (Douglas and Craig 1983). Any follow-up analysis of nonrespondents for comparability with respondents is also virtually useless for the same reasons. Because of the small number of households with telephones and the large percentage of unlisted telephone numbers, household telephone surveys are not an effective alternative either. The researchers found that a more promising data collection technique, and one more cost-effective than personal interviews, is to personally deliver and retrieve the questionnaires several hours later, after the respondent has had an opportunity to answer. This method of collecting information increases significantly the response rate over mail questionnaires, but has the same disadvantage of mail questionnaires due to the loss of control over who fills out the questionnaire from within the household or business. While more expensive than mailing questionnaires, the method of personal delivery and collection is faster and, if the questionnaires are time-consuming to complete, less expensive than personal interviews. Emphasis when using this technique should be on controlling the logistics of the questionnaire distribution and obtaining the cooperation of local competent contacts to serve as field researchers. The researchers’ experience has been that Mexican university faculty are excellent resources for assisting, obtaining, and training field researchers, especially during the summer months. Most of the research concerning incentives and their influence on response rates has been conducted with mail surveys targeting populations in the United States. Results of studies conducted in The Netherlands, Canada, Japan, and Hong Kong compare favorably with the response rates obtained in US studies. Yet, cross-cultural researchers remain cautious. They recommend that studies assess the influence of incentives on response rates to different survey collection techniques performed in different cultural settings and countries. Specifically, studying the type of incentive (monetary or nonmonetary, prepaid or promised, local or foreign currency) and its value were identified in the literature as potentially important research issues (Files 1984; Keown 1985). These methodological questions can only be addressed by comparative cross-cultural studies (Adler 1983). To assess the impact incentives would have on increasing responses to a tourism survey conducted at Mexican households, an experimental study, comparing three incentives with a control group of no incentives was executed. Three types of prepaid incentives were used to simulate responses: a plastic insulated coffee mug valued at US$l; Mexican currency equivalent to US$l; and a single US$l bill. A total of 851 usable questionnaires from
940
RESEARCH
Table
1. Response
Return
Attempt
NOTES AND REPORTS
Percentages
and Frequencies (n=1,137) No
First (%) Responses Second (%) (%; number increase)” Total Responses Third (%) (%; number increase)” Total Responses Four and Five (96) (%; number increase)” Total Responses Number Contacted aPercentage
and
Coffee
Incentive
number
by Number
Mexican Currency
Mug
of Attempts
US Currency
Number Returned
56 227
56 106
58 142
68 203
(9; 3; 261
(13; 2; 130
(8; 2; 162
(12; 3; 239
114
(4; 1; 278
(2;; 134
(4; 18; 173
(5; 1; 256
49
(1;; 284 404
(0; ‘d: 134 186
(1; :; 184 247
(1:; 258 300
10
incremental
increase
over
prior
678
response.
the 1,137 randomly distributed questionnaires were returned, a response rate of approximately 75%. Even the response rate from the no-incentive group was high, ranging from 56% on the first return attempt to 70% by the fifth attempt (Table 1). Because of the high response rate, no analysis was performed on the nonrespondents. One conclusion is that high response rates can be achieved and money can be saved when questionnaires are distributed in person and collected in a relatively short time frame. Establishing reliable contacts to assist in the data collection procedure is an important consideration when surveying in Mexico. Also, offering a monetary incentive is an effective technique for stimulating responses to tourism surveys taken in Mexico. The monetary incentive is a consideration that affects return results, particularly if local currency or foreign currency is the incentive. The US dollar as an incentive produced a lo-12% higher response rate on the first attempt to collect questionnaires than did the equivalent value incentive of Mexican pesos or a nonmonetary incentive. By the fifth attempt, the US dollar exceeded the no-incentive treatment group and the other incentive treatment groups by 14-16%. No statistical differences existed in response rates among the nonmonetary incentive, the Mexican currency, and the noincentive control group (Table 2), suggesting that the US dollar was the most appropriate incentive for increasing response rates when surveying in Table
2. Analysis
of Response
Rates
Contrasts No Incentive No Incentive No Incentive Coffee Mug Coffee Mug Pesos (0.71)
(0.70) vs. Coffee (0.70) vs. Pesos (0.70) vs. US$I (0.72) vs. Pesos (0.72) vs. US$l vs. US%1 (0.86)
Mug (0.71) (0.86) (0.71) (0.86)
(0.72)
after
Four
or More Attempts
Z-Value
Statistically Significant
-0.42 -0.25 -4.61 0.20 -3.15 -3.38
>0.05 BO.05 0.001 BO.05 0.001 0.001
at
RESEARCH
941
NOTES AND REPORTS
Mexico. For this study, however, the data collection technique is more influential than the use of incentives for increasing responses to a survey. By using this data collection technique with the US dollar as an incentive, optimal response rates were produced. 0 0 Acknowfedgment
- The authors are grateful to the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Developme’nt at the University of Texas-Pan American for providing the funding for this research project.
Vern Vincent: College of Business Administration, University Edinburg TX 78539, USA. Email [email protected].
of
Texas-Pan
American,
REFERENCES Adler, N. J. 1983 A Typology of Management Studies Involving Culture. Journal of International Business Studies 14(3):86-89. Douglas, S., and S. Craig 1983 International Marketing Research. Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall. Files, J. A. 1984 Do Incentives Affect Mail Survey Response Rates? Public Relations Journal 40(5) 1-8. Keown, C. F. 1985 Foreign Mail Surveys: Response Rates Using Monetary Incentives. Journal of International Business Studies 16(3):151-153. Submitted 18 January 1995 Resubmitted 20 February 1995 Resubmitted 3 May 1995 Accepted 18 November 1995
A Theoretical
SOISO-7383(96)00012-S
Explanation of International Investments
Eastern Mediterranean
Tourism
Peter J. Buckley University of Leeds, UK Necla V. Geyikdagi University, North Cyprus
Due to difficulties in obtaining information and data, the application of theories of the multinational enterprise (MNE) to tourism is rare. Still, even incomplete data and small samples have the potential to provide otherwise unavailable insights. This study attempts to show how the eclectic theory of the MNE can explain the growth of foreign investment in the Turkish tourism sector. While all of the major theories provide various levels of explanatory power on the growth of foreign investment in the Turkish tourism sector, the eclectic theory provides a framework which encompasses different types of foreign investment. Hence, the three strands of the eclectic theory (ownership, location, and internalization advantages) are examined in relation to the empirical evidence gathered. In 1992, a postal questionnaire survey was carried out to gather data going beyond the array of publicly available information. It consisted of
RESEARCH NOTES AND REPORTS
Improving Tourism Survey Response Rates Vern Vincent Gilbert0 de 10s Santos
University of Texas-Pan
American, USA
This tourism research study illustrates several important issues the crosscultural tourism researcher should consider when surveying particularly in developing countries. Two primary considerations for enhancing responses are the data collection technique employed and the type of incentive used to motivate responses. Based on the authors’ prior experiences with the mail survey technique performed in Mexico, a 5-7% return rate is typical. Because of the inefficient Mexican mail service and inaccurate or insuffcient addresses, the response rate for mail questionnaires in Mexico or in any developing country is considered unsatisfactory (Douglas and Craig 1983). Any follow-up analysis of nonrespondents for comparability with respondents is also virtually useless for the same reasons. Because of the small number of households with telephones and the large percentage of unlisted telephone numbers, household telephone surveys are not an effective alternative either. The researchers found that a more promising data collection technique, and one more cost-effective than personal interviews, is to personally deliver and retrieve the questionnaires several hours later, after the respondent has had an opportunity to answer. This method of collecting information increases significantly the response rate over mail questionnaires, but has the same disadvantage of mail questionnaires due to the loss of control over who fills out the questionnaire from within the household or business. While more expensive than mailing questionnaires, the method of personal delivery and collection is faster and, if the questionnaires are time-consuming to complete, less expensive than personal interviews. Emphasis when using this technique should be on controlling the logistics of the questionnaire distribution and obtaining the cooperation of local competent contacts to serve as field researchers. The researchers’ experience has been that Mexican university faculty are excellent resources for assisting, obtaining, and training field researchers, especially during the summer months. Most of the research concerning incentives and their influence on response rates has been conducted with mail surveys targeting populations in the United States. Results of studies conducted in The Netherlands, Canada, Japan, and Hong Kong compare favorably with the response rates obtained in US studies. Yet, cross-cultural researchers remain cautious. They recommend that studies assess the influence of incentives on response rates to different survey collection techniques performed in different cultural settings and countries. Specifically, studying the type of incentive (monetary or nonmonetary, prepaid or promised, local or foreign currency) and its value were identified in the literature as potentially important research issues (Files 1984; Keown 1985). These methodological questions can only be addressed by comparative cross-cultural studies (Adler 1983). To assess the impact incentives would have on increasing responses to a tourism survey conducted at Mexican households, an experimental study, comparing three incentives with a control group of no incentives was executed. Three types of prepaid incentives were used to simulate responses: a plastic insulated coffee mug valued at US$l; Mexican currency equivalent to US$l; and a single US$l bill. A total of 851 usable questionnaires from
940
RESEARCH
Table
1. Response
Return
Attempt
NOTES AND REPORTS
Percentages
and Frequencies (n=1,137) No
First (%) Responses Second (%) (%; number increase)” Total Responses Third (%) (%; number increase)” Total Responses Four and Five (96) (%; number increase)” Total Responses Number Contacted aPercentage
and
Coffee
Incentive
number
by Number
Mexican Currency
Mug
of Attempts
US Currency
Number Returned
56 227
56 106
58 142
68 203
(9; 3; 261
(13; 2; 130
(8; 2; 162
(12; 3; 239
114
(4; 1; 278
(2;; 134
(4; 18; 173
(5; 1; 256
49
(1;; 284 404
(0; ‘d: 134 186
(1; :; 184 247
(1:; 258 300
10
incremental
increase
over
prior
678
response.
the 1,137 randomly distributed questionnaires were returned, a response rate of approximately 75%. Even the response rate from the no-incentive group was high, ranging from 56% on the first return attempt to 70% by the fifth attempt (Table 1). Because of the high response rate, no analysis was performed on the nonrespondents. One conclusion is that high response rates can be achieved and money can be saved when questionnaires are distributed in person and collected in a relatively short time frame. Establishing reliable contacts to assist in the data collection procedure is an important consideration when surveying in Mexico. Also, offering a monetary incentive is an effective technique for stimulating responses to tourism surveys taken in Mexico. The monetary incentive is a consideration that affects return results, particularly if local currency or foreign currency is the incentive. The US dollar as an incentive produced a lo-12% higher response rate on the first attempt to collect questionnaires than did the equivalent value incentive of Mexican pesos or a nonmonetary incentive. By the fifth attempt, the US dollar exceeded the no-incentive treatment group and the other incentive treatment groups by 14-16%. No statistical differences existed in response rates among the nonmonetary incentive, the Mexican currency, and the noincentive control group (Table 2), suggesting that the US dollar was the most appropriate incentive for increasing response rates when surveying in Table
2. Analysis
of Response
Rates
Contrasts No Incentive No Incentive No Incentive Coffee Mug Coffee Mug Pesos (0.71)
(0.70) vs. Coffee (0.70) vs. Pesos (0.70) vs. US$I (0.72) vs. Pesos (0.72) vs. US$l vs. US%1 (0.86)
Mug (0.71) (0.86) (0.71) (0.86)
(0.72)
after
Four
or More Attempts
Z-Value
Statistically Significant
-0.42 -0.25 -4.61 0.20 -3.15 -3.38
>0.05 BO.05 0.001 BO.05 0.001 0.001
at
RESEARCH
941
NOTES AND REPORTS
Mexico. For this study, however, the data collection technique is more influential than the use of incentives for increasing responses to a survey. By using this data collection technique with the US dollar as an incentive, optimal response rates were produced. 0 0 Acknowfedgment
- The authors are grateful to the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Developme’nt at the University of Texas-Pan American for providing the funding for this research project.
Vern Vincent: College of Business Administration, University Edinburg TX 78539, USA. Email [email protected].
of
Texas-Pan
American,
REFERENCES Adler, N. J. 1983 A Typology of Management Studies Involving Culture. Journal of International Business Studies 14(3):86-89. Douglas, S., and S. Craig 1983 International Marketing Research. Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall. Files, J. A. 1984 Do Incentives Affect Mail Survey Response Rates? Public Relations Journal 40(5) 1-8. Keown, C. F. 1985 Foreign Mail Surveys: Response Rates Using Monetary Incentives. Journal of International Business Studies 16(3):151-153. Submitted 18 January 1995 Resubmitted 20 February 1995 Resubmitted 3 May 1995 Accepted 18 November 1995
A Theoretical
SOISO-7383(96)00012-S
Explanation of International Investments
Eastern Mediterranean
Tourism
Peter J. Buckley University of Leeds, UK Necla V. Geyikdagi University, North Cyprus
Due to difficulties in obtaining information and data, the application of theories of the multinational enterprise (MNE) to tourism is rare. Still, even incomplete data and small samples have the potential to provide otherwise unavailable insights. This study attempts to show how the eclectic theory of the MNE can explain the growth of foreign investment in the Turkish tourism sector. While all of the major theories provide various levels of explanatory power on the growth of foreign investment in the Turkish tourism sector, the eclectic theory provides a framework which encompasses different types of foreign investment. Hence, the three strands of the eclectic theory (ownership, location, and internalization advantages) are examined in relation to the empirical evidence gathered. In 1992, a postal questionnaire survey was carried out to gather data going beyond the array of publicly available information. It consisted of