1. In order to improve response rates in surveys there are many things researches can do such as making the surveys easy to understand, straight to the point and easily accessible. Explaining what the survey is for, how it will be used, making them feel apart of something important and offering insentives can also imporve these rates. Mail surverys have particularly low response rates because of multiple disadvatage such as questionare design and particular respondants both which effect the accuracy of the responses. Children, disabled or those with language barriers pose an issue when interpreting these surveys. Depending on the wording any given respondant may have difficulty perceiving these questions and therefore making or breaking the survey. In order to eliminate these disadvatages in particular, clear and precise questions with various language options would be needed. Instructions encouarging help for those who are intellectually stunted and knowing the recipents would also improve these aspects of mail surveying. Self report surveys as a data gathering strategy is the quickest, simpliest way to collect data at a low cost and has the ability to survey those from a wide spread demographic in which you’d normally not be able to. This type of surveying allows for a better interprutation with the ability to survey in amultiple ways (internet, mail, questionares, interview, person to person or via telephone). However, there are disadvaantages to self report surveys as well such as the character, bias or validaty of the respondants, are they lying about their answers, are they bias or favor an idea, all they generally on one extreme or the other. Another problem is the wording, interprutation and perception of the survey and therefore the effect on the responses, wording is everything. 

2. Some techniques to improve response rates in surveys could be sending out reminders, keeping the survey short and easy, send personal emails instead of automated ones. There are many disadvantages of mail surveys. The biggest problem is not receiving a response. Also, It includes researchers having no control relating if the survey was completed or not. Mail surveys do not have follow ups and it takes a period of time to get to its destination and back. To eliminate these disadvantages, they should offer follow ups, sponsorship, and use an attractive format to catch the reader’s attention and actually participate in the survey. Self-report survey requires participants admitting to criminal and/or delinquent acts. The problems with this type of survey are inaccurate reporting, lack of consistency, and poor choice of subjects. On the other hand, the greatest benefit of self-report surveys is that the data can be easily obtained. Also, researchers can do this very quickly and gather data relating what is being researched in other subjects if needed. They can get results within 2-3 days.

3. To encourage more people to respond to surveys, a few things can be done. Offering some type of reward is a good one, as it can be treated like a job by the individual rather than just something they volunteered for. In addition, the survey can come off as very important to encourage participation, or can be sponsored by a company that people would positively associate with the study. Also, people are more likely to take shorter surveys, or more personalized ones (Hagan, 2010, pgs. 158-159). Mail surveys can be somewhat of a problem because people are very likely to take them from the mailbox and just throw them out. If they do decide to do them, there is no telling how long it would take to get a response, meaning that the response rate would be both low and sporadic. Not being there to personally clarify survey questions and concerns may lead to the individual being misled and putting down an incorrect answer (Hagan, 2010, pg. 156). Interestingly, the ways to eliminate the issues that are common to mail-surveys are similar incentives to the ones previously mentioned, in which you could appeal to morality, shorten the survey, offer rewards, sponsor the survey, and personalize it for the individual. Using self-surveys is somewhat problematic, as the individual is not usually an objective spectator, but rather a biased one who may misinterpret their feelings or recollection of events. Self-surveys may also lack anonymity, lack representation from certain groups of people, and have (perhaps unintentionally) incorrect time frames of events. Self-surveys may be too personal in a way that only harms the person taking the survey (Hagan, 2010, pgs. 162-163). 

4. People often feel intimidated whey doing surveys. Either they are way too long and ask for too much information, or they think they do not serve a real purpose and is of no significance to them personally. I find this to be true – I remember getting the 2020 Census and not wanting to complete it because I thought it would be long and drawn out – fortunately, it was a lot shorter than I expected so this helped in me completing it and doing so quickly. The fact that it would help my city with funds for what we need was motivation to do it and send it back. People do not like to waste time on things that they do not believe would benefit them, so this is a huge incentive. Surveys should also be very specific, and questions should be focused and targeted. I also find that personally, I want to know my progress when I am doing a survey because I want to know when it will end as many are deterred if they see that they have only completed a small portion of the questions and still have a long way to go. I think offering incentives is a great way to improve response rates as well, as with many people, time is money, and most will be encouraged by a reward. Mail survey response rates are low, and many people do not even open them. Also, you cannot follow up if applicable, as once you are done you are never contacted again regarding your responses. One way to eliminate these types of surveys would be to have them digitalized so access is easily gained. I know some still prefer to get mail the old-fashioned way but making this more available to modern technology will improve responses. With self-reporting, respondents may not always be honest in their answers, and how they may have been affected by a certain issue could alter their opinions of it. However, it is a rather simple, cost effective way of reporting data.

5. When it comes to surveys there is a couple of ways surveys could be done, one it could be by the traditional way in person, telephone surveys, mail surveys and online surveys. These four types of surveys are done by people who really put a lot of thought to them to make sure they get it to the right persons/public and also how they can attract them. Some techniques that tcould be use to improve the response in surveys could be by making them feel like there is enough time make them feel comfortable about the topic and also to make sure you do get their attention in a honest way, not just try to sell them the surveys for them to feel force to do it if not try to show this surveys in the most natural ways. Also, one way they can increase rate in surveys is by giving some money back, keeping questions shorts and direct. In addition, some disadvanteages of mail surveys, not many people actually gets to read them and just throw them away and there is money being loose, also how they do not make the questions straight forward and keep it short. Moreover, how they are not able to follow up with the questionare and also sometime people are confused and are not able to ask someone for help. A way to eliminate them it will be send it via email or also just try to share in public were people can physicially get it done. When it comes to self report we have the benefits of the time you can get to fill out the survey and do not need to rush, but the disadvantage is you do not know if people are lying and just want to get over it.