Increasing nonresponse error by reducing nonresponse rates? Investigating the biasing effect of methods and procedures aimed at increasing response rates in Web-based access panel surveys

• Applicant: Dr. Wolfgang Bandilla
• Co-Applicant: Professor Dr. Mick Couper
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2008 to 2010
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 42985384

Web-based access panel surveys have emerged as a promising data collection methodology. However, not enough is known about differences between people who do and who do not participate in such online surveys. While there is a growing body of research on strategies for increasing response rates, little is known about the ways in which sample composition may be differentially affected by those strategies.In this proposed research, we focus on differences in values, personality traits, and civic duty orientation - variables that are frequently studied through surveys in sociology, psychology, and political sciences. We will collect baseline data about these characteristics within the ALLBUS 2008. The respondents who have Internet access will be invited to join a Web-based access panel to be operated by the SPP coordinator(s) and to participate in two subsequent online surveys. In the first one, we will experiment with four versions of prenotification (by postal mail, SMS, email, or none) and three versions of feedback (self-oriented, other-oriented, or none). In the second online survey, we will combine the four prenotification conditions with five versions of incentives (lottery with immediate feedback, prepaid incentives, promised incentives, donation to charity of choice, or none). We expect differential effects of these strategies on the respondents with different characteristics.The results will help researchers using online surveys to recognize the combinations of strategies for increasing response rates that may encourage (or discourage) respondents with particular traits and values, thus biasing survey estimates.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1292: Survey Methodology
• International Connection: USA
• Participating Persons: Professor Dr. Michael Bosnjak; Dr. Mirta Galesic