Investigating the Relationship among Prepaid Token Incentives, Response Rates, and Nonresponse Bias in a Web Survey

Abstract

Few studies have employed a controlled experimental design to test the effectiveness of unconditional cash incentives on the rates of participation in web surveys. Even fewer studies have looked at the effects of these incentives on nonresponse bias in web surveys. This article addresses these two underresearched areas by utilizing two separate sources of data on a random sample of college students. Specifically, we examine the impact of prepaid token incentives on response rates to a web survey and compare survey data on respondents to administrative records of all sampled persons. Results support the use of unconditional incentives in web surveys as an effective way to improve response. However, contrary to several studies on the relationship between token incentives and nonresponse bias, our findings suggest that prepaid cash incentives may actually produce data that are less representative of the target population.