There have been several studies to determine if the
sponsor of a survey might affect response rate. The
overwhelming majority of these studies have clearly
demonstrated that university sponsorship is the most
effective. A meta-analysis of these studies revealed an
aggregate increase in response rate of 8.9 percent. This
may be due to the past benefits that the respondent has
received from the university. Another possibility is that
a business sponsor implies advertising or sales to
potential respondents.
