This is especially useful when identifying and working with participants who do not have a telephone in their household, have recently moved, or would like to be contacted for an interview somewhere other than their home. Offer incentives for survey participation. Incentives may include items such as gift certificates at local restaurants or fun places visited by families with children, a lottery for a larger prize, pre-paid telephone calling cards, or cash in the form of a postal money order. Combine survey modes such as telephone, in-person, and mail surveys. If you are conducting a telephone or in-person survey, offer flexible hours for participants to complete an interview.
Many participants have tight work schedules and competing demands for their time.
Limiting when they can complete a survey may make it impossible for them to participate. Allow survey participants to schedule an interview with a telephone or in-person interviewer ahead of time. In your correspondence with survey participants, announce hours that telephone interviews are available and the option to schedule in-person interviews if participants cannot complete a survey over the telephone. Offering childcare during the interview, transportation reimbursements, and an increased incentive payment for completing an interview at the open house may attract individuals who are typically difficult to interview by telephone. Back to Top Tracking and Locating Welfare Leavers for Follow Up Surveys Locating former welfare recipients for a survey interview months or even years after they have stopped receiving assistance is a challenging task.