Texting in Mixed-Mode Studies: Results from Recent Research Experimentation

 Using multiple modes of contact has been found to increase participation in surveys over a single contact mode. Text messaging has emerged as a new mode to contact survey participants in mixed-mode survey designs, especially for surveys that include web and/or phone data collection. However, it has been unclear how to best combine text messages with mailings and other outreach contacts to improve response rates and data quality. At NORC, we launched a program to explore the effectiveness of using text messaging as a contact mode and embedded experiments in multiple NORC studies to better understand the impact and benefits of texting. In this seminar, we highlight results from our recent experimental research, including the effectiveness of text invitations and text reminders at different points in the contact sequence, the time-of-day text messages are sent, and whether text reminders are more effective than postcard reminders. Objectives for this seminar include: to understand how texting is used for contacting potential survey respondents at NORC, share examples from texting on specific NORC projects, and discuss results from recent studies on how best to use texting.

 Presenters:  

Leah Christian, Christopher Hansen, Martha McRoy, Zoe Slowinski are from the Methodology and Quantitative Social Sciences department at NORC at the University of Chicago.

 Leah Christian is Senior Vice President directing the Methodological and Quantitative Social Sciences department. Prior to joining NORC, Christian worked at Nielsen and the Pew Research Center. Christian brings over 20 years of experience in survey methodology and panel research, including work with federal, academic, commercial, and nonprofit organizations. She is an expert in data collection modes, mixed-mode survey and panel designs, and questionnaire design and measurement error. Her research also focuses on evaluating big data for use in social science research, integrating survey and big data, and using survey data to correct for errors in big data. Christian is co-author of Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method and has published 15 articles on research methodology in a variety of journals and presented more than 50 conference, webinar and short courses on research methodology and data science. Christian was a recipient of AAPOR’s Warren J. Mitofsky’s Innovators Award in 2017 for her work with a research team developing web-push data collection methodologies. Christian holds a PhD in sociology from Washington State University.

Christopher Hansen is a Research Methodologist with over 10 years of experience in applied research. During his time at NORC, he has worked in the capacity of methodologist on numerous projects in the areas of survey and questionnaire design and cognitive and usability testing. These projects include the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) Labs Methodology Review, the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods with Harvard University, the CDC’s Survey of Today’s Adolescent Relationships and Transitions, and the CDC’s COVID Experiences Longitudinal Surveys. Hansen teaches courses in research methodology at Loyola University Chicago and DePaul University and has presented on topics related to survey design and measurement at national conferences, including the American Association for Public Opinion Research and the American Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. Hansen holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Chicago. 

Martha McRoy is a Senior Research Methodologist who specializes in survey sample design, questionnaire development, fieldwork monitoring and implementation, quality control, and data weighting for web, mail, telephone, face-to-face, and mixed-mode surveys. McRoy provides rigor in all stages of survey research with project work covering a breadth of topics including public opinion, religion, health, justice, and transportation. Her experimental work focuses on mode shifts and bridge studies, predicting response propensities and survey outcome dispositions of sampled respondents, increasing response rates for hard-to-reach populations, and developing tools to monitor data collection activity. McRoy brings over ten years of experience in survey statistics and methodology, including working at Abt Associates, Westat, the Pew Research Center, and the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. She holds a master’s degree in survey methodology from the University of Michigan.

Zoe Slowinski is a Research Methodologist with over 12 years of applied research experience in the U.S. and internationally, including work with federal, academic, and nonprofit organizations. Her work focuses on survey design, measurement error, and qualitative data collection. At NORC, she develops questionnaires, conducts cognitive and usability interviews, plans and moderates focus groups, and analyzes data for clients such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Science Foundation, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Slowinski's experimental work focuses on the use of texting and email as survey contact modes. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University.