Incentives (and why you shouldn’t have them)

Using incentives for better survey participation can boost response rates, but it does come with potential downsides. Let’s explore why avoiding incentives might be the better choice, both in responses and in the decision to participate.

Why yes — the temptation of incentives

Incentives, such as monetary rewards or gift cards, can significantly increase participation. People are more likely to take time out of their day if they know there’s something in it for them. Studies have shown that incentives can double response rates compared to no incentives​.

Incentives can also make participants engage more thoughtfully with the survey. Knowing there's a reward, they might take the survey more seriously, leaving more detailed and considered responses.

Finally, offering a gift or prize can create a positive impression of your brand or organization. Participants may feel appreciated and valued, which can enhance their overall perception of your company.

Why not — our case against incentives

However, despite the attraction of higher response rates, the use of incentives can introduce several biases that compromise data quality. The most important ones are:

• Participation bias: Incentives can attract a specific type of respondent. People motivated by rewards may not represent your entire target audience, which will lead to skewed results — the patients interested in the incentive might differ significantly in demographics or opinions from those who aren't motivated by rewards​.

• Response bias: The promise of a reward can influence how participants answer questions. They might provide answers that they think will please the surveyor or secure the incentive, rather than their honest opinions. This can significantly affect the reliability of the feedback you collect.

On top of that, there’s a logistic hurdle as well: implementing and managing incentives can be costly and complicated. Ensuring every participant gets their reward, especially in large-scale surveys, will require you to dedicate substantial resources and man-hours into just this small portion of your feedback system.

Supporting studies on bias

But don’t simply take our word for it. Several studies highlight the drawbacks of using incentives in surveys:

• A systematic review found that, while monetary incentives did increase response rates, they also introduced significant bias in the sample. The demographics of the participants motivated primarily by the reward were notably different from the broader target population, leading to less reliable data​​.

• Another study indicated that different types of incentives could affect response patterns, suggesting that some type of additional motivation for participating influenced how respondents answered questions​.

Why no incentives lead to better data quality

Avoiding incentives will, in most cases, result in higher-quality, unbiased data. When respondents choose to participate without the promise of a reward, their motivation is closer to genuine interest or being relevant to the survey topic. 

This results in more honest and reflective responses, providing more reliable data for decision-making. Therefore, for the sake of data integrity and reliability, not using incentives is often the better choice.