The Impact of Fan Identification and Notification on Survey Response and Data Quality

Abstract

The use of online data collection techniques in sport marketing research has increased in recent years. The value of data obtained this way is determined, in part, by the quality of survey response. Scholars have studied strategies that enhance survey response, including the use of notification and topic salience. However, empirical support for the use of notification has been obtained primarily from mail-based survey research, so it is unclear if the benefits would be evident with online data collection. This study examined the influence of notification techniques and topic salience, measured as fan identification, on two metrics commonly used to measure survey response: response rate and response quality. Overall, findings revealed a significant relationship between notification and response rate while no relationship was found between notification and response quality. Additionally, there was no relationship between fan identification scores and survey participation while a relationship between fan identification and response quality was identified.