Professional Respondents in Opt-in Online Panels

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) Chan Zhang, Zhejiang University; Christopher Antoun, University of Maryland, College Park; Yanna Yan, University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research; Frederick Conrad, University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research. Survey Research Center

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
prof_r_codebook.xlsx application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet 20.2 KB 03/20/2019 11:16:PM
survey1.rds application/gzip 102.4 KB 03/20/2019 11:15:PM
survey2.rds application/gzip 109 KB 01/23/2019 03:28:AM
survey3.rds application/gzip 98.4 KB 01/23/2019 03:28:AM
survey4.rds application/gzip 119.2 KB 01/23/2019 03:28:AM

Project Citation: 

Zhang, Chan, Antoun, Christopher, Yan, Yanna, and Conrad, Frederick. Professional Respondents in Opt-in Online Panels. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2019-03-21. https://doi.org/10.3886/E109021V1

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary Survey researchers often assume that “professional” respondents, those who complete a large number of surveys in opt-in online panels, are more likely than others to provide low-quality responses because their primary motivation is to earn rewards with minimal effort. However, there is little empirical evidence for this assumption. It could also be that professional respondents are willing to expend effort in order to be compensated. We investigated this issue using data from four independent surveys of opt-in panelists with about 2400 respondents in each survey. We classified panelists into three groups – “professional,” “average,” and “novice” – according to the number of surveys they had previously completed and the number of panels they belonged to. We then compared the groups with respect to their demographic characteristics, reasons for joining a panel, and response behaviors. Professional respondents were the oldest group and, as expected, the most likely to report “for money” as the main reason for joining a panel. However, novices were actually the most likely to provide low-quality responses. Professional respondents appear to take the task of completing surveys more seriously than previously thought.
Funding Sources:  View help for Funding Sources National Institutes of Health (R01HD041386-04A1)

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms response quality; online opt-in panels
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage U.S.
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 2008 – 2011
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) survey data

Methodology

Response Rate:  View help for Response Rate cannot be determined
Sampling:  View help for Sampling non-probability samples
Collection Mode(s):  View help for Collection Mode(s) web-based survey
Weights:  View help for Weights none

Related Publications

Download this project

Published Versions

V1 [2019-03-21]

Export Metadata

Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

Report a Problem

Found a serious problem with the data, such as disclosure risk or copyrighted content? Let us know.

This material is distributed exactly as received from the data depositor. As of April 2026, depositors are required to submit study materials in accessible formats. ICPSR has not reviewed, checked, or processed this material. For additional information about the study, please contact the investigator(s) directly. If you have questions about the accessibility of materials distributed by ICPSR or require further assistance, please visit ICPSR's Accessibility Center.