As survey rates decline, survey researchers must consider the factors leading to reductions in response rates, especially the respondent's survey-taking experience. This research sought to study the effects of question type and involvement on a number of outcomes of survey participation. Respondents participated in an online survey experiment about one of four issues (universal health care, same-sex marriage, copyrighted music file-sharing, or space exploration) in one of two question formats (open- or closed-ended). Regression analysis was used to test the effect of these variables on time to complete the survey, feelings of self-expression, fatigue, survey enjoyment, willingness to endorse a related campaign, and willingness to participate in a future survey. Results demonstrate that using open-ended survey questions may increase the self-expression of the respondent. This increase in self-expression may lead to more survey enjoyment and a greater willingness to participate in future surveys. This study also found that asking open-ended survey questions may interact with self-expression to increase the willingness of the respondent to endorse a campaign related to the topic covered in the survey. While neither outcome- nor value-relevant involvement appeared to have strong effects on variables of interest, topic appeared to have an important role. Implications of these findings and considerations for future research are discussed.
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