Response Rates Response Rates AGS response rates Institutional

Response Rates

Response Rates � AGS response rates ◦ Institutional response rates confirmed during last stages of data cleaning ◦ GDS+CEQ, GDS+PREQ, total response rates go out to Survey Managers ◦ CEQ response definition – at least four responses to GTS or GSS or an OSI response ◦ But there must be an accompanying GDS response – no shortcuts

Response rates, 2010 70. 0 64. 5 61. 7 60. 0 61. 5 56. 4 61. 8 58. 0 56. 6 52. 6 50. 0 40. 0 30. 0 20. 0 10. 0 GDS+CEQ (dom) GDS+CEQ (all) CEQ (dom) CEQ (all) GDS+PREQ (dom) GDS+PREQ (all) Total (dom) Total (all)

2010 Response Rates � Domestic always better than totals � Pulled down by international � CEQ response rates have improved with acceptance of phone responses � Levels have remain largely unchanged over last decade � Institutional response rates vary significantly

Institutional Response Rates � 2010 institutional response rates (domestic) ◦ Vary from 21. 1% at NSW College of Law to 79. 2% at Uo. W and 80. 6% at Uni. SA ◦ Most institutions make the 50% mark � 2010 institutional response rates (all) ◦ Vary from 21. 2% at NSW College of Law to 75. 1% at VU ◦ Most institutions make the 50% mark

Improving Response � Improving response rates (getting more responses per head of survey population) � Improving response (getting responses faster and more easily) ◦ Survey Managers should refer to presentations form previous SMIFs – analysis of institutional response rates

Key Issues � Good contact information (postal, email [NOT just institutional], phone, mobile) – an institutional recordkeeping issue � Use graduation ceremonies where possible � Multi-modal approach – use every available avenue of contact � Active survey management – taking a strategic approach (timing and mode of contacts, what you say in contact communications, sourcing additional contact information)

Key Issues � Pre-survey engagement (letters, postcards, emails, lecture announcements, posters) � More follow-ups, more quickly (more ‘aggressive’) � Collect long-term contact information – particularly from internationals � Use of incentives to speed response (discussion paper on START) � Results of incentive use can vary