The primary problem with mailing questionnaires to participants is that

The primary problem with mailing questionnaires to participants is that

• A. Usually involves a low response rate
• B. It yields rich qualitative data
• C. It has no sampling bias
• D. It is faster than online surveys

Answer: (A)

Mailing questionnaires mainly suffers from a low response rate. When many people don’t respond, the sample can become unrepresentative of the whole population, creating nonresponse bias that weakens the ability to generalize findings. While some open-ended answers can provide qualitative insight, the big hurdle is recruitment and participation, not data richness. Also, sampling bias and speed are not favorable points for mailed surveys: nonresponse can create bias, and mail tends to be slower and more costly than online alternatives.

Mailing questionnaires mainly suffers from a low response rate. When many people don’t respond, the sample can become unrepresentative of the whole population, creating nonresponse bias that weakens the ability to generalize findings. While some open-ended answers can provide qualitative insight, the big hurdle is recruitment and participation, not data richness. Also, sampling bias and speed are not favorable points for mailed surveys: nonresponse can create bias, and mail tends to be slower and more costly than online alternatives.