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.
Key words: Response rates, ethnic minority, systematic review, survey, mail survey, face-to-face survey
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.
Mots clés: taux de réponse, minorité ethnique; examen systématique, sondage, sondage par la poste, sondage en personne
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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