What’s the Benefit of a Video? The Effect of Nonmaterial Incentives on Response Rate and Bias in Web Surveys

Author(s)
Fabian Kalleitner, Monika Mühlböck, Bernhard Kittel
Abstract

Traditional survey research faces declining response rates due to changing cultural habits and technological developments. Researchers have developed novel approaches to increase respondents’ likelihood of participating in web surveys. However, we lack information about whether these methods indeed increase response rates and, if so, whether they bias the resulting data. This article focuses on the use of nonmaterial incentives in the form of a video that provides the invitees with information tailored to their life situation. Analysis of our experimental data shows that instead of increasing respondents’ probability of starting the survey, the video treatments actually decrease it. We provide evidence that the lower salience of the intrinsic benefits of survey participation in the invitation email significantly contributes to this reduction. Additionally, the effect of the nonmaterial incentive differs across subgroups, affecting nonresponse biases in line with employment status, gender, and migration background. We therefore conclude that using additional information in the form of a video as a nonmaterial survey incentive is only suitable under specific conditions.

Organisation(s)
Department of Economic Sociology, Department of Economic and Social History
Journal
Social Science Computer Review
Volume
40
Pages
700-716
No. of pages
17
ISSN
0894-4393
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439320918318
Publication date
06-2022
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
504002 Sociology of work, 504007 Empirical social research
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Social Sciences(all), Library and Information Sciences, Law, Computer Science Applications
Portal url
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/whats-the-benefit-of-a-video-the-effect-of-nonmaterial-incentives-on-response-rate-and-bias-in-web-surveys(d839f541-135a-4684-930b-5eff57a6aa51).html