Web Survey Bibliography
Relevance & Research Question: It is a well-known fact that sensitive questions such as the income question show an increased item nonresponse compared to other survey questions. Less is known about how such questions affect the decision process of respondents to join a panel for follow-up surveys. Hence, the study examines in a split experiment whether there are differences concerning the recruitment success for a panel when the income question is asked or omitted during the recruitment interview. Furthermore, it investigates if those respondents, who reject to answer the sensitive question, tend to reject the panel request more often. The main question is: Are respondents affected by the sensitive question itself or is there a general lower trustworthiness among some respondents which influences both unit nonresponse in sensitive questions and the rejection of panel participation?
Methods & Data: The interview for panel recruitment is conducted via telephone with a probability sample. In a randomized split experiment half of the respondents are asked about their net household income in the recruitment interview and the other half are not asked any income information. At the end of the interview all respondents are asked whether they would be willing to join an online panel and answer questions about life in Germany via online questionnaires on a monthly basis. For this, respondents have to provide an e-mail address in the end of the telephone interview. The dependent variable is the willingness to participate in the online panel.
Results: Our previous research shows that 47% of those who answer the income question are willing to participate in an online-follow-up survey. In contrast, this figure plunges to only 22% for those who decline to provide income information (total n=818). Data collection for the current study starts in December 2010.
Added Value: The anticipated results will give insights in the (offline) recruitment process for an online panel which is based on a probability sample. The knowledge about how sensitive questions can affect later decisions of participation is crucial for designing a recruitment process, especially when sensitive questions are an important predictor in estimations of nonresponse bias.
Conference Homepage (abstract) / (presentation)
Web survey bibliography - General Online Research Conference (GOR) 2011 (17)
- Sampling v. Scale: An investigation the tension between convenience sampling, response rates, probability...; 2011; Garland, P.
- Effectiveness and consequences of various recruitment methods in psychological research: case study; 2011; Poltorak, M.
- A new approach to the analysis of survey drop-out. Results from Follow-up Surveys in the German Longitudinal...; 2011; Rossmann, J., Blumenstiel, J. E., Steinbrecher, M.
- Tracking the decision-making process – Findings from an Online Rolling Cross-Section Panel Study...; 2011; Faas, T.
- Should we use the progress bar in online surveys? A meta-analysis of experiments manipulating progress...; 2011; Callegaro, M., Yang, Y., Villar, A.
- From "Web Questions" to "Propensity Score Weighting": An Evaluation of Topics and...; 2011; Welker, M., Taddicken, M.
- Rich Profiles – Or: What's the problem with self-disclosure data?; 2011; Tress, F.
- Who are leaving our panel: panel attrition and personality traits; 2011; Marchand, M.
- Mobile Research Apps – Adding New Capabilities to Market Research; 2011; Rieber, D.
- The influence of personality traits and motives for joining on participation behavior in online panels...; 2011; Keusch, F.
- Asking sensitive questions in a recruitment interview for an online panel: the income question; 2011; Schaurer, I., Struminskaya, B., Kaczmirek, L., Bandilla, W.
- Speeders in Online Value Research: Cross-checking results of fast and slow respondents in two separate...; 2011; Beckers, T., Siegers, P., Kuntz, A.
- Effects of survey question clarity on data quality; 2011; Lenzner, T.
- Respondent Characteristics as Explanations for Uninformative Survey Response: Sources of Nondifferentiation...; 2011; Van Meurs, L., Klausch, L. T., Schoenbach, K.
- Response Quantity, Response Quality, and Costs of Building an Online Panel via Social Contacts.; 2011; Toepoel, V.
- The Influence Of The Direction Of Likert-Type Scales In Web Surveys On Response Behavior In Different...; 2011; Keusch, F.
- Social desirability and self-reported health risk behaviors in web-based research: three longitudinal...; 2010; Crutzen, R., Goeritz, A.