Mannheim Research Colloquium on Survey Methods: Optimizing Retention in Self-Administered Mixed-Mode Panel Studies: Experimental Insights into Tailored Incentive Strategies

Time: 
10.09.2024 - 10:00 to 11:00
Location : 
A 5,6 Raum A 231
Type of Event : 
MZES-Kolloquium
Lecturer: 
Pablo Christmann
Lecturer affiliation: 
GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
Description: 

Attrition is a significant challenge for panel surveys. When attrition is systematic, it can introduce biases into the data and reduce the number of cases available for analysis. Adaptive survey design offers a potential solution to this challenge: by identifying likely attriters before a panel wave is fielded, these individuals can be treated differently from those following standard protocols. This tailored treatment aims to increase retention among those at risk of dropping out of the panel. In this study, we investigate whether increasing incentives for likely attriters can help reduce attrition. Furthermore, we explore whether these increased incentives should be maintained or reverted to the standard amount after preventing attrition once or twice. To address our research questions, we conducted a three-wave survey experiment within the German Family Demography Panel Study (FReDA). FReDA was recruited in 2021 using a probability-based sample drawn from population registers (N=37,777). Respondents who did not participate in the first regular panel wave (W1A) were identified as likely attriters and randomly assigned to one of two groups for the second regular wave (W1B): one group received a 10€ prepaid incentive, and the other received the standard 5€ incentive. We continued the experiment in the next panel wave (W2A), where the 10€ group was split, with half continuing to receive 10€ and the other half reverting to 5€. In the final wave of our experiment (W2B), all participants were again offered the standard 5€ incentive. We evaluated the impact of these varying incentive strategies on survey outcomes, sample composition, and data completeness.

Please use this link to attend the colloquium via Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87334271501?pwd=ckZNODYxa3ViRFk1RVlrSzlrL3I2QT09

MaRCS is a seminar series jointly organized by the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES), the University of Mannheim School of Social Sciences, and GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences.