| Popis: |
Providing incentives to potential respondents has been shown to be one of the more effective means of encouraging participation in surveys across modes of data collection. The increasing number of cell-phone only (CPO) households has sparked an interest in best practices for interviewing cell phone respondents. One aspect of interviewing cell phone respondents that has not been adequately addressed is the question of the need to provide some type of remuneration to those who complete the interview on a cell phone. In this research, we provide evidence that suggests that providing such remuneration does not have a significant impact on either response rates or results. Although the literature on this topic is not extensive, there have been several studies of this topic (Dillman 2007; Singer 2002; Trussell and Lavrakas 2004). For example, Brick and his colleagues (2007) found in a national survey of cell phone households that a $10 incentive significantly improved participation over a $5 incentive. Similar studies by Diop and his colleagues (2008a, 2008b) found that a $10 incentive produced a higher rate of production compared to no incentive or to a $5 incentive. These earlier studies were based on unscreened dual-frame designs that included all cell phone users – that is, those both with and without landlines – while our research focused on those in cell phone only households, which may account for some of the difference in the findings. In the early 2000s, most initial approaches to contact cell phone users presumed that some type of incentive or remuneration would be given. This was usually done as a reimbursement for possible charges incurred by the respondent, although in some cases they may have functioned as incentive payments. One of the conclusions from the Cell Phone Sampling Summit II was that “survey respondents reached on their cell phone should be properly reimbursed for their time on a research call” (Lavrakas and Shuttles 2005). As the cost structure of cell phone billing has changed and more users have moved to virtually “unlimited minutes” plans, does reimbursement of cell phone users remain a sine qua non? |
