The Effectiveness of a Monetary Incentive on Response Rates in a Survey of Recent U.S. Veterans

Abstract

There is a continuing need to conduct surveys of U.S. veterans in order to examine important health questions. In surveys of veterans and members of society in general, achieving high response rates has become increasingly challenging. Despite the importance of response rates to the scientific validity of study findings, few studies have examined ways to maximize participation rates in veteran surveys conducted via mail questionnaire or web-based approaches. Prior studies of incentives have often involved public opinion surveys or market research rather than the types of health surveys that are vital to monitoring the health of veteran populations. Incentives increased the response rate while shifting the distribution of military and personal characteristics compared to the sample distribution. The