Final answer:
Mailed surveys face difficulties such as low response rates, mailing disruptions, limited reach to transient demographics, and challenges in verifying respondent identities. The decline in response rates has broader implications for the accuracy and representativeness of survey data.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question targets the practical difficulties involved in obtaining accurate results from mailed surveys. Low response rates, mailing issues, reaching certain demographics, and respondent identity verification are some of the main challenges.
Low response rates can be attributed to a lack of interest or the survey's relevance to the recipients. Delays in mail delivery or cases where the mail is lost can significantly affect the timing and thereby the usefulness of the survey results. Certain demographics, especially individuals without fixed addresses, can be difficult to reach through a mailed survey. Lastly, the inability to verify the identity of the respondents can lead to uncertainties regarding the authenticity of the data collected.
Other difficulties in conducting surveys include designing web surveys compatible with various browsers and handheld devices, and the inability of online polls to detect multiple submissions by a single person through different email or social media accounts. These challenges make it hard to calculate accurate response rates or to achieve a representative sample.
The recent decline in survey response rates and the rise in difficulties in reaching respondents are a concern for researchers. This decline is attributed to increased commute times, longer work hours, and higher mobility, especially among younger demographics. Sampling in countries with violence or instability can also be challenging and dangerous and sometimes requires the poll to be conducted face-to-face rather than by phone.