The mail survey is still the preferred research tool for the mature consumer population and questions remain about ways of boosting survey response rates. The influence of two
incentives were explored, a foil-wrapped tea bag and a 1donationforeachreturnedquestionnaireinthestudydesign.Asignificanthigherresponseratewasonlyachievedforthefirstincentive.Theeffectivenessofarangeofincentivesandsurveydesignfeatureswereinvestigated.Respondentsindicatedthattheirpreferredincentivewasa500 donation to a charity. With the ongoing use of mail surveys almost mandatory for populations like this one, this study shows that incentives and design features such as CEO endorsement are important
elements in improving response rates