Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Systematic Literature Review on Response Rates across Racial and Ethnic Populations

  • Systematic Review
  • Published:
Canadian Journal of Public Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

: To conduct a systematic review examining whether minority ethnic populations participate in surveys as actively as the majority ethnic population.

Methods

: A literature and grey literature search was conducted using five online databases as well as government databases and reports, including the search terms: survey response rates or non-response rates and racial or ethnic populations (White, African American, Asian, and Hispanic); survey modes or methods (mail, telephone, face to face, e-mail); and response bias (non-response bias, response bias or social desirability). The search was limited to English language and articles published from January 1990 to June 2009. Article exclusions were based on further inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Synthesis

: Thirty-five articles were identified on ethnicities and response rates to survey modes. Six articles compared survey mode and response rate for multiple ethnic populations. Response rates ranged from 22.0% to 68.8% in Whites, and in other ethnic groups ranged from 15.4% in African Americans to 70.9% in Latino Americans. Among the 29 articles that presented survey mode and response rate for a specific ethnicity, the highest response rate reported was from African Americans (92.5%) and the lowest was from Cambodian Americans (30.3%).

Conclusion

: Response rate varied across studies but was similar across ethnicities. Response rate may be related to many factors, including survey mode, length of questionnaire, survey language and cultural sensitivity to content. Our review indicates that ethnic populations who participate in surveys are as likely to participate in research as Whites. In literature, data validity across ethnicity is still unknown and should be studied in the future.

Résumé

Objectif

Procéder à un examen systématique afin d’examiner si les minorités ethniques participent aux sondages aussi activement que l’ethnie majoritaire.

Méthode

Une recherche bibliographique incluant la littérature grise a été réalisée dans cinq bases de données en ligne et dans des bases de données et rapports gouvernementaux sur les termes: taux de réponse ou taux de non-réponse, populations raciales ou ethniques (blanche, afro-américaine, asiatique et hispanique); modes et méthodes de sondage (par la poste, par téléphone, en personne, par courriel); et biais dans les réponses (biais des non-réponses, biais des réponses, désirabilité sociale). La recherche a été limitée à la langue anglaise et aux articles publiés de janvier 1990 à juin 2009. Les articles ont été triés selon des critères d’inclusion et d’exclusion.

Synthèse

Trente-cinq articles ont été trouvés sur l’appartenance ethnique et le taux de réponse aux modes de sondage. Six articles comparent les modes de sondage et le taux de réponse pour différents groupes ethniques. Le taux de réponse variait de 22,0 % à 68,8 % chez les Blancs; dans les autres groupes ethniques, il était de 15,4 % chez les Afro-Américains et de 70,9 % chez les Latino-Américains. Sur les 29 articles présentant le mode de sondage et le taux de réponse pour une ethnie, le taux de réponse le plus élevé a été observé chez les Afro-Américains (92,5 %), et le plus bas, chez les Américains d’origine cambodgienne (30,3 %).

Conclusion

Les taux de réponse varient selon les études, mais ils sont similaires d’un groupe ethnique à l’autre. Le taux de réponse peut être lié à de nombreux facteurs, dont le mode d’enquête, la longueur et la langue du questionnaire, et la sensibilité culturelle du contenu. Notre examen indique que les populations d’origines ethniques différentes sont aussi susceptibles de participer à des sondages que la population blanche. Dans la littérature, la validité des données selon l’appartenance ethnique est encore inconnue et devrait être étudiée plus avant.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Statistics Canada. Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada: Highlight Tables; 2006 Census. 2006. Available at: https://doi.org/www.12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Table=1&Data=Count&StartRec=1&EndRec=13&Sort=2&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000 (Accessed August 17, 2009).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Fremont AM, Bierman A, Wickstrom SL, Bird CE, Shah M, Escarce JJ, et al. Use of geocoding in managed care settings to identify quality disparities. Health Affairs 2005;24(2):516–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Fiscella K, Fremont AM. Use of geocoding and surname analysis to estimate race and ethnicity. Health Serv Res 2006;41(4 Pt 1):1482.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Quan H, Ghali WA, Dean S, Norris C, Galbraith PD, Faris P, et al. Validity of using surname to define Chinese ethnicity. Can J Public Health 2004;95(4):314.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Aday L. Designing and Conducting Health Surveys: A Comprehensive Guide, 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Levy P, Lemeshow S. Sampling of Populations. Methods and Applications, 3rd ed. New York, NY: Wiley & Sons, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Quan H, Lai D, Johnson D, Verhoef M, Musto R. Complementary and alternative medicine use among Chinese and white Canadians. Can Fam Phys 2008;54(11):1563.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Lai DW. Older chinese’ attitudes toward aging and the relationship to mental health: An international comparison. Soc Work Health Care 2009;48(3):243–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Allison T, Ahmad T, Brammah T, Symmons D, Urwin M. Can findings from postal questionnaires be combined with interview results to improve the response rate among ethnic minority populations? Ethnicity & Health 2003;8(1):63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Heberlein T, Baumgartner R. Factors affecting response rates to mailed questionnaires: A quantitative analysis of the published literature. Am Sociol Rev 1978;43:447–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Lund E, Gram I. Response rate according to title and length of questionnaire. Scand J Soc Med 1998;26(2):154–60.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Larsen O. The comparative validity of telephone and face-to-face interviews in the measurement of message diffusion from leaflets. Am Sociol Rev 1952;17(4):471–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Doyle JK. Face-to-Face Surveys. 2010. Available at: https://doi.org/www.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/SSPS/Doyle_-_Face-to-Face_Surveys.pdf (Accessed August 17, 2009).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Steffen AD, Kolonel LN, Nomura AM, Nagamine FS, Monroe KR, Wilkens LR. The effect of multiple mailings on recruitment: The multiethnic cohort. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers & Prev 2008;17(2):447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Gilliss CL, Lee KA, Gutierrez Y, Taylor D, Beyene Y, Neuhaus J, et al. Recruitment and retention of healthy minority women into community-based longitudinal research. J Womens Health & Gender-Based Med 2001;10(1):77–85.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Sax LJ, Gilmartin SK, Bryant AN. Assessing response rates and nonresponse bias in web and paper surveys. Res Higher Educ 2003;44(4):409–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Davies M, Ammari F, Sherriff C, Burden M, Gurjal J, Burden A. Screening for Type 2 diabetes mellitus in the UK Indo-Asian population. Diabetic Med 1999;16:131–37.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Lee M, Lin S, Wrensch M, Adler S, Eisenberg D. Alternative therapies used by women with breast cancer in four ethnic populations. J Nat Cancer Inst 2000;92(1):42–47.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Fitzpatrick KM, Dulin AJ, Piko BF. Not just pushing and shoving: School bullying among African American adolescents. J School Health 2007;77(1):16–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Horn IB, Cheng TL, Joseph J. Discipline in the African American community: The impact of socioeconomic status on beliefs and practices. Pediatrics 2004;113(5):1236–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Waterman AD, Browne T, Waterman BM, Gladstone EH, Hostetter T. Attitudes and behaviors of African Americans regarding early detection of kidney disease. Am J Kidney Dis 2008;51(4):554–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Solberg VS, Ritsma S, Davis BJ, Tata S P, Jolly A. Asian-American students’ severity of problems and willingness to seek help from university counseling centers — Role of previous counseling experience, gender, and ethnicity. J Counseling Psychology 1994;41(3):275–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Gorell E, Lee C, Munoz C, Chang ALS. Adoption of Western culture by Cali-fornian Asian Americans: Attitudes and practices promoting sun exposure. Arch Dermatol 2009;145(5):552–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Croucher RE, Islam SS, Pau AK. Concurrent tobacco use in a random sample of UK-resident Bangladeshi men. J Public Health Dentistry 2007;67(2):83–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Tu SP, Yasui Y, Kuniyuki A, Schwartz SM, Jackson JC, Taylor VM. Breast cancer screening: Stages of adoption among Cambodian American women. Cancer Detection and Prevention 2002;26(1):33–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Lai DW, Tsang KT, Chappell N, Lai DC, Chau SB. Relationships between culture and health status: A multi-site study of the older Chinese in Canada. Can J Aging 2007;26(3):171–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Lai DW. From burden to depressive symptoms: The case of Chinese-Canadian family caregivers for the elderly. Soc Work Health Care 2009;48(4):432–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Ramirez AG, Suarez L, Laufman L, Barroso C, Chalela P. Hispanic women’s breast and cervical cancer knowledge, attitudes, and screening behaviors. Am J Health Promot 2000;14(5):292–300.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Mas FGS, Papenfuss RL, Jacobson HE, Hsu CE, Urrutia-Rojas X, Kane WM. Hispanic physicians’ tobacco intervention practices: A cross-sectional survey study. BMC Public Health 2005;5:120–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Ortiz BI, Clauson KA. Use of herbs and herbal products by Hispanics in South Florida. J Am Pharm Assoc 2006;46(2):161–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Trinidad DR, Gilpin EA, Messer K, White MM, Pierce JP. Trends in smoking among Hispanic women in California — Relationship to English language use. Am J Prev Med 2006;31(3):257–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Ortega AN, Canino G, Alegria M. Lifetime and 12-month intermittent explosive disorder in Latinos. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2008;78(1):133–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Chaudhry S, Fink A, Gelberg L, Brook R. Utilization of Papanicolaou smears by South Asian women living in the United States. J Gen Intern Med 2003;18(5):377–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Lai DW, Surood S. Predictors of depression in aging South Asian Canadians. J Cross Cult Gerontol 2008;23(1):57–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Taylor VM, Yasui Y, Burke N, Nguyen T, Chen A, Acorda E, et al. Hepatitis B testing among Vietnamese American men. Cancer Detection and Prevention 2004;28(3):170–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Taylor VM, Yasui Y, Burke N, Choe JH, Acorda E, Jackson JC. Hepatitis B knowledge and testing among Vietnamese-American women. Ethnicity & Disease 2005;15(4):761–67.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Pham H, Spigner C. Knowledge and opinions about organ donation and transplantation among Vietnamese Americans in Seattle, Washington: A pilot study. Clinical Transplantation 2004;18(6):707–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Chow C, Chu J, Tu J, Moe G. Lack of awareness of heart disease and stroke among Chinese Canadians: Results of a pilot study of the Chinese Canadian Cardiovascular Health Project. Can J Cardiol 2008;24(8):623–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. McPhee S, Bird J, Davis T, Ha N, Jenkins C, Le B. Barriers to breast and cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese-American women. Am J Prev Med 1997;13(3):205–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Pham CT, McPhee SJ. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of breast and cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese women. J Cancer Educ 1992;7(4):305–10.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Tang T, Solomon L, McCracken L. Cultural barriers to mammography, clinical breast exam and breast self-exam among Chinese-American Women 60 and older. Prev Med 2000;31:575–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Wismer B, Moskowitz J, Chen A, Kang SH, Novothy TE, Min K, et al. Mam-mography and clinical breast examination among Korean American women in two California counties. Prev Med 1998;27:144–51.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Yi J. Factors associated with cervical cancer screening behaviour among Vietnamese women. J Community Health 1994;19(3):189–99.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Jenkins C, Le T, McPhee S, Stewart S, Ha N. Health care access and preventive care among Vietnamese immigrants: Do traditional beliefs and practices pose barriers? Soc Sci Med 1996;43(7):1049–56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Palacios C, Sheps S. A pilot study assessing the health status of the Hispanic American community living in Vancouver. Can J Public Health 1992;83(5):346–49.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Hislop T, Teh C, Low A, Li L, Tu SD, Yasui Y, et al. Hepatitis B knowledge, testing and vaccination levels in Chinese immigrants to British Columbia, Canada. Can J Public Health 2007;98(2):125–29.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Lubetkin E, Jia H, Gold M. Use of the SF-36 in low-income Chinese American primary care patients. Med Care 2003;41(4):447–57.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Centre for Health and Policy Studies, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Lindsay L. Sykes, Emmanuel Ngwakongnwi MSc &  Hude Quan MD, PhD

  2. Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Lindsay L. Sykes

  3. Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Robin L. Walker MSc &  Hude Quan MD, PhD

  4. Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada

    Robin L. Walker MSc, Emmanuel Ngwakongnwi MSc &  Hude Quan MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Lindsay L. Sykes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Robin L. Walker MSc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Emmanuel Ngwakongnwi MSc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hude Quan MD, PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hude Quan MD, PhD.

Additional information

Conflict of Interest: None to declare.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sykes, L.L., Walker, R.L., Ngwakongnwi, E. et al. A Systematic Literature Review on Response Rates across Racial and Ethnic Populations. Can J Public Health 101, 213–219 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404376

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404376

Key words

Mots clés

Search

Navigation