Are Prepaid Monetary Incentives Sufficient for Reducing Panel Attrition and Optimizing the Response Rate? An Experiment in the Context of a Multi-Wave Panel with a Sequential Mixed-Mode Design

Becker, Rolf; Glauser, David (2018). Are Prepaid Monetary Incentives Sufficient for Reducing Panel Attrition and Optimizing the Response Rate? An Experiment in the Context of a Multi-Wave Panel with a Sequential Mixed-Mode Design. Bulletin of sociological methodology = Bulletin de méthodologie sociologique, 139(1), pp. 74-95. Sage 10.1177/0759106318762456

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In this contribution, we evaluate the short- and long-term effects of a prepaid cash
incentive on young people’s cooperation and response rate in the fourth and fifth wave
of a panel with sequential mixed-mode design (online questionnaire, CATI). Analyses are
based on a survey experiment of students from randomly selected school classes of
equal shares, which have participated in the third wave. Findings show that a monetary
incentive has a direct and positive effect on the response rate in the fourth but not in the
subsequent wave. However, the effect of the incentive is not persistent, since the effect
weakens and fades away during the field phase and cannot be directly transferred to the
second survey mode. As emphasized in the tailored design method (TDM), a monetary
incentive can contribute to a shorter field phase and hence lower costs, but it is an
insufficient instrument against panel attrition and the optimization of the retention rate
when other strategies are disregarded.

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