The Effect of Different Correspondence Methods on Response Rates in the 2010 Census of Agriculture Content Test

The 2010 Census of Agriculture Content Test experimented with different correspondence methods to encourage respondents to return their report form via mail or Internet. These experiments utilized combinations of cover letters, postcards, and pre-recorded telephone messages for the initial and follow-up contacts to determine the correspondence preferences of respondents. The first experiment focused on ways to encourage respondents to report their data by the Internet rather than by mail. The second experiment tested the effectiveness of pre-survey pre-recorded telephone message notification. The third experiment focused on different follow-up methods to encourage likely out of scope respondents to return their report form. This likely out of scope group generally has low response rates as most do not qualify as agricultural operations, but they are still required to return the form indicating their status. The fourth experiment focused on probable farm operations with variations of follow-up correspondence to encourage them to return their report form