Question: The following description and assessment of nonresponse is from a study of Hamilton, Ontario, home owners' attitudes on composting toilets: The survey was carried out by means of a self-administered mail questionnaire. Twelve hundred questionnaires were sent to a randomly selected sample of house-dwellers.
Follow-up thank you notes were sent a week later. In total, 329 questionnaires were returned, representing a response rate of 27%. This was deemed satisfactory since many mail surveyors consider a 15 to 20% response rate to be a good return. (Wynia et al. 1993, 362) Do you agree that the response rate of 27% is satisfactory? Suppose the investigators came to you for statistical advice on analyzing these data and designing a follow-up survey. What would you tell them?