ArticleBMC medical research methodology2017
The effectiveness of a monetary incentive offer on survey response rates and response completeness in a longitudinal study.
Article in BMC medical research methodology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Methods to increase response to postal and electronic questionnaires.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Strategies to Increase Response Rate and Reduce Nonresponse Bias in Population Health Research: Analysis of a Series of Randomized Controlled Experiments during a Large COVID-19 Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Trial
- The effect of monetary incentive on survey response for vulnerable children and youths: A randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2020Trial
- Small Social Incentives Did Not Improve the Survey Response Rate of Patients Who Underwent Orthopaedic Surgery: A Randomized Trial.Clinical orthopaedics and related research · 2019Trial
- Additive Manufacturing in Upper-Limb Prosthetics: A Survey of Stakeholders' Profiles and Expertise.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2026Article
- Article
- Using routinely available electronic health record data elements to develop and validate a digital divide risk score.JAMIA open · 2025Article
- Assessing the Response Results of an mHealth-Based Patient Experience Survey Among People Receiving HIV Care in Lusaka, Zambia: Cohort Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- The Impact of Incentives on Data Collection for Online Surveys: Social Media Recruitment Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Feasibility Study on Menstrual Cycles With Fitbit Device (FEMFIT): Prospective Observational Cohort Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Observational
- Human biomonitoring without in-person interaction: public health engagements during the COVID-19 pandemic and future implications.BMC medical research methodology · 2024Article
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- Participant and GP perspectives and experiences of screening for undiagnosed type 2 diabetes in community pharmacy during the Pharmacy Diabetes Screening Trial.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis for hospitalized adult patients: a survey of US health care providers on attitudes and practices.Research and practice in thrombosis and haemostasis · 2023Article
- Health Care-Seeking Behaviors, Disease Progression, Medications, Knowledge of, and Attitudes Toward Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in China: Cross-sectional Survey Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2023Article
- Dental Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Patient Perceptions of Barriers to Dental Care, COVID-19 Safety Precautions, and Administration of the COVID-19 Vaccine at the Dental Office.HCA healthcare journal of medicine · 2023Article
- Performance of Orthopaedic Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons on a Biostatistical Knowledge Examination.Advances in orthopedics · 2023Article
- Article
- Mixed-methods process evaluation of a residence-based SARS-CoV-2 testing participation pilot on a UK university campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAchieving adequate response rates is an ongoing challenge for longitudinal studies. The World Trade Center Health Registry is a longitudinal health study that periodically surveys a cohort of ~71,000 people exposed to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City. Since Wave 1, the Registry has conducted three follow-up surveys (Waves 2-4) every 3-4 years and utilized various strategies to increase survey participation. A promised monetary incentive was offered for the first time to survey non-respondents in the recent Wave 4 survey, conducted 13-14 years after 9/11.
methodsWe evaluated the effectiveness of a monetary incentive in improving the response rate five months after survey launch, and assessed whether or not response completeness was compromised due to incentive use. The study compared the likelihood of returning a survey for those who received an incentive offer to those who did not, using logistic regression models. Among those who returned surveys, we also examined whether those receiving an incentive notification had higher rate of response completeness than those who did not, using negative binomial regression models and logistic regression models.
resultsWe found that a $10 monetary incentive offer was effective in increasing Wave 4 response rates. Specifically, the $10 incentive offer was useful in encouraging initially reluctant participants to respond to the survey. The likelihood of returning a survey increased by 30% for those who received an incentive offer (AOR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.4), and the incentive increased the number of returned surveys by 18%. Moreover, our results did not reveal any significant differences on response completeness between those who received an incentive offer and those who did not.
conclusionsIn the face of the growing challenge of maintaining a high response rate for the World Trade Center Health Registry follow-up surveys, this study showed the value of offering a monetary incentive as an additional refusal conversion strategy. Our findings also suggest that an incentive offer could be particularly useful near the end of data collection period when an immediate boost in response rate is needed.
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