EFFECTS OF A PREPAID NONMONETARY INCENTIVE ON RESPONSE RATES AND RESPONSE QUALITY IN A FACE-TO-FACE SURVEY |
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| Authors: | WILLIMACK, DIANE K. SCHUMAN, HOWARD PENNELL, BETH-ELLEN LEPKOWSKI, JAMES M. |
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| Affiliation: | DIANE K. WILLIMACK is a survey methodologist at the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. HOWARD SCHUMAN is professor of sociology and research scientist at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. BETH-ELLEN PENNELL is director of the Field Section, Survey Research Centre, Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. JAMES M. LEPKOWSKI is senior study director at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. The authors acknowledge Professor John Goyder for discussions that initially stimulated this research. They also thank Charlotte Steeh, director of the Detroit Area Study, for assisting with implementation of the experiment, Heather L. Hewitt for managing the study for the Survey Research Center, and Professor Willard Rodgers for guidance in the early analysis on data quality. Support for the survey was provided by Grant AGO8951-O2 from the National Institute of Aging. Funds for the incentive experiment were provided by the Survey Research Center and the Institute for Social Research. |
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| Abstract: | We conducted a randomized experiment on a face-to-face interviewsurvey in order to test the effects on response rates of a prepaidnonmonetary incentive. Results showed a statistically significantincrease in response rates, mostly through reduction in refusalrates, in the half sample that received the incentive (a gift-typeballpoint pen) as compared with a no incentive control group.The effect appears to be due to greater cooperation from incentiverecipients at the initial visit by an interviewer. Unexpectedly,the incentive group also showed a significantly higher rateof sample ineligibility, possibly due to easier identificationof vacant residences or nonexistent addresses. In addition,evidence suggests greater response completeness among respondingincentive recipients early in the interview, with no evidenceof increased measurement error due to the incentive. |
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