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Individual payments as a longer-term incentive in online panels
Anja S Göritz1, Hans-Georg Wolff, Daniel G Goldstein
1University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Nuremberg, Germany. anja.goeritz@psychologie.uni-wuerzburg.de
Behavior Research Methods
|November 13, 2008
Summary
Paying online panel members initially decreased response rates but later increased them. Payment did not affect long-term participant retention in this study.
Area of Science:
- Survey Methodology
- Online Research
- Participant Behavior
Background:
- Online panels are crucial for data collection.
- Understanding factors influencing participant response and retention is vital for research validity.
- Incentive structures, like payments, are commonly used but their impact requires empirical investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of per-person payments on response and retention rates in an online panel.
- To analyze the longitudinal impact of financial incentives across multiple waves of data collection.
Main Methods:
- A three-wave longitudinal experiment was conducted with an online panel.
- Participants were divided into two conditions: a payment condition (promised per-person payment) and a control condition (no payment).
- Response and retention rates were measured across the three waves.
Main Results:
- The promise of payment negatively impacted response rates in Wave 1.
- Conversely, payment positively influenced response rates in Wave 2.
- Payment did not have a significant effect on participant retention across waves.
Conclusions:
- Financial incentives can have a complex, time-dependent effect on online panel participation.
- While initial payment may deter some, it can encourage continued engagement in later waves.
- Future research should explore optimal incentive strategies for sustained online panel participation.
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