Relevance & Research Question: This presentation focuses on the difficulties and solutions related to recruiting web panels through probability-based face-to-face and push-to-web surveys. It also compares the panel composition when using two different survey modes for recruitment.

Methods & Data: As part of the ESS SUSTAIN-2 project, a webpanel was recruited in 2021/22 through a face-to-face survey of ESS R10 in 12 countries. Unfortunately, the recruitment rate was low and the sample size achieved in Hungary was inadequate for further analysis. To increase the size of the webpanel (CRONOS-2), the Hungarian team initiated a probability-based mixed-mode self-completion survey (push-to-web design). Respondents were sent a post inviting them to go online or complete a questionnaire, which was identical to the interviewer-assisted ESS R10 survey.

Results: We will present our findings on how the type of survey affects recruitment to a web panel through probability sampling. We will begin by introducing the design of the two surveys, then discuss the challenges encountered in setting up the panel, and finally compare the composition of the panel recruited through the two surveys (interviewer-assisted ESS R10 and push-to-web survey with self-completion). Our research provides valuable insight into how the type of survey and social and political environment affect recruitment to a web panel.

Added Value: This analysis focuses on the mode effect on the recruitment of participants for a scientific research panel. Our findings highlight the effect of the social and political environment, which could be used as a source of inspiration for other local studies.

Relevance & Research Question

RDS is a network sampling technique for surveying complex populations in the absence of sampling frames. The idea is simple: identify some people (“seeds”) who belong or have access to the target population, encourage them to start a survey invitation chain-referral process in their community, ensure that every respondent can be traced back along the referral chain. But who will recruit? And whom? And which strategies help initiate the referral process?

Methods & Data

We conducted a pilot study in 2023 where we invited 5,000 panel study members to a multi-topic online survey. During the survey, we asked respondents whether they would be willing to recruit up to three of their network members. If they agreed, we asked them about their relationship with those network members as well as these people’s ages, gender, and education and provided unique survey invitation links to be shared virtually. As part of the study, we experimentally varied the RDS consent wording, information layout, and survey link sharing options. We also applied a dual incentive scheme, rewarding seeds as well as recruits.

Results

Overall, 624 initial respondents (27%) were willing to invite network members. They recruited 782 people (i.e., on average 1.25 people per seed). Recruits were mostly invited via email (46%) or WhatsApp (43%) and belonged to the seeds’ family (53%) and friends (38%). Only 20% of recruits are in contact with the seed less than once a week, suggesting recruitment mostly among close ties. We find an adequate gender balance (52% female) and representation of people with migration background (22%) in our data, but a high share of people with college or university degrees (52%) and high median age (52 years). The impact of the experimental design on recruitment success is negligible.

Added Value

While in theory, RDS is a promising procedure, it often fails in practice. Among other challenges, this is commonly due to the fact that seeds will not or only insufficiently start the chain-referral process. Our project shows in which target groups initiating RDS may work and to what extent UX enhancements may increase RDS success.