In my work I have a need to send questionnaires and surveys to a group
of people (several hundred) periodically. I have a choice: I can group
up questions and send them large surveys infrequently (say, once every
3-6 months) or I could disaggregate the questions and ask just a few,
say every couple of weeks.

Is there any evidence that one approach is more acceptable to people
than others (in terms of response rate, response speed, and accuracy
of answers)? What other factors can I keep in mind to ensure maximum
response rate, response speed and accuracy?

Context: the recipients are clinical and technical staff. They all
work in the public sector. They are able to access email and web. The
surveys I am sending them are generated by another department within
the same public sector - so, not a pre-sales or commercial motive.

Thanks in advance

Just a suggestion; wouldn?t it be a good idea to put the question to
your target audience and ask them for their preferences ?. People
always appreciate being treated as grown-ups and this should
predispose them favorably towards your questionnaires. You might also
consider the possibility of using more than one approach, dividing the
people into categories according to their preference.

Good suggestion boyo62, thanks. I do want to understand their
preferences. What I'm seeking in addition to this (via this question)
is an evidence-based view on what works best in practice. Hopefully
both routes will come to similar conclusions, but if they don't I'd
like to know before I decide how best to move forward! Thanks again
for your suggestion.

Thank you for the kind words. What I fear is that the information you
are asking for is commercially sensitive, which means there will be
little available on the Web. Your pricing looks fine to me, but if the
info isn?t available there?s not a lot the GA researchers can do,
except to say there?s nothing to be found. In my experience that?s not
something GA does; why not is anyone?s guess, because if a competent
search fails to find relevant sources then that is, in itself, useful
to know.

When I take a survey, I like the option of being able to comment in
addition to the multple choices. You should not overlook the
possibility of a really useful comment.   Neil