The effects of two cover letter manipulations and their interactions with demographic variables on response to the initial mailing of a survey were investigated. The two manipulations, type of appeal and type of respondent group identification, were intended to affect respondents' perceptions of their social responsibility and position. In all, 599 replies were received from male (28 percent) and female (72 percent) teachers. Seventy-three percent were Anglo, with the remainder largely Hispanic. The appeal manipulation was appeal to the respondent's professional expertise or appeal to affiliation with a sample of teachers. No simple effects of either cover letter was found, although an interactive effect was found. Effects of gender and ethnicity on response rate were significant, with higher response rates for females and Anglos. Three tables present study data. An appendix lists the appeals made. (SLD)