Foreign source effects on response behavior in cross-national mail surveys

This study investigates the effects of foreign-source techniques on cross-national response behavior of two types of respondents - senior managers of industrial firms and consumers - in the United States and Israel. The foreign source effect was manipulated through country-specific envelopes, sponsoring institutions stationery, and premiums. Results show that for the consumers' survey, the source manipulation techniques produce a significantly better response (both rate and quality) in both countries without affecting bias. Effects of foreign source techniques on senior managers are less pronounced. Implications of the findings for cross-national surveys are discussed.