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Panel Research 2007

2007 events

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Good quality, good business

Are panelists employees or respondents?
Social versus economic exchange

Eric Taylor, Western Wats, USA

Abstract

Discussions of online survey methods frequently invoke the label “professional respondents,” describing online survey panelists as mostly self-interested, incentive-maximizing, and indifferent to researchers’ concerns. Are online panelists different from respondents in other modes and sample frames? Do online panelists think of themselves as employees or respondents?

Results from two research methods experiments will address:

Are online panel response patterns better described by the theory of “economic exchange” or “social exchange”?
Do online panelists exhibit incentive-maximizing behavior, trading off costs (time) and benefits (incentives)?
Do online panelists reduce their effort (satisfice more) when the expected incentive is smaller?
Are online panel response rates higher when using prepaid incentives, or promised incentives?

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Eric Taylor

Western Wats, USA

Eric is currently Director, Online Research Services at Western Wats where he is responsible for the methodology and development of Opinion Outpost, Western Wats’ online panel. Eric’s current research and business process efforts focus on panelist recruitment methods, the determinants of satisficing, and the motivations of online panelist response. Eric received a Masters of Public Policy from UCLA, and has been working in survey research for over eight years.