Social-psychological Aspects of Probability-based Online Panel Participation

Abstract

In this study, we use qualitative research methods to identify, discuss, and investigate the self-reported motivational factors and barriers in all stages of the probability-based online panel lifecycle—recruitment to the panel, wave-by-wave data collection, and voluntary attrition. Our data were gathered with qualitative in-depth interviews (IDIs). Between March 2020 and February 2021, panelists from the Life in Australia™ probability online panel were classified into four groups based on their previous panel response behavior and each was interviewed. The qualitative data were used to link the reported motivation for and barriers against joining and staying active in the panel with theories about survey participation. Evidence from the IDIs shows that motivations and barriers can be directly linked to social-psychological theories that explain panel/longitudinal survey participation, including how theories such as social-exchange theory, leverage-salience theory, and the reasoned action approach, are sufficiently robust to help understand the time dimension of survey participation and behavioral change of panel members. Our findings have practical implications for probability-based online panel management.