The Impact of Alternative Incentives on Response and Retention in a Mixed-Mode Survey

Aleksandra Gajic (), David Cameron () and Jeremiah Hurley
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Aleksandra Gajic: Department of Economics, McMaster University, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, McMaster University

No 2010-03, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis Working Paper Series from Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA), McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

Abstract: We examine the influence of incentives on response, retention, drop-out, completeness and speed of response, consistency of response and respondent characteristics in a mixed-mode survey in which initial contact was via regular mail and respondents completed the survey online. We study four incentive groups: no incentive, prepaid incentive ($2), low promised incentive (lottery, 10 @ $25), and high promised incentive (lottery, 2 @ $250). Prepaid incentives extract the highest response and retention rates compared to no incentive and both promised lottery incentives. Lotteries only increase response and retention rates when of high value. High-prize lotteries result in speedier response while low-prize lotteries decrease response consistency. Cost-effectiveness analysis indicates that the high-prize lottery incentive was most cost-effective per completed survey.

Date: 2010
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