Enhancing Respondent Response Rates Through Behavioral Science

1. Slow, Logical Thinking; This method is deliberate and analytical, requiring effort and attention.

2. Fast, Intuitive Thinking; This approach is automatic and often subconscious, allowing us to make quick judgments with minimal effort.

Crucially, individuals tend to make decisions using their fast thinking process without even realizing it. This unconscious bias plays a significant role in how we form judgments and make choices. A compelling example from Daniel Kahneman’s book Thinking, Fast and Slow (which served as a gateway for me into the behavioral science world) illustrates this concept. Participants were asked to spin a rigged wheel of fortune that only landed on the numbers 10 or 65. After spinning, they were questioned about the percentage of African nations in the UN. Those who spun the wheel and saw 10 estimated that around 25% of the UN was African nations, while those who saw 65 estimated approximately 45%.

This phenomenon exemplifies anchoring, where the initial number presented—regardless of its relevance—significantly influences subsequent judgments. Participants unconsciously used the number from the wheel as a reference point, making it challenging to adjust their estimates based on actual knowledge.

In addition to anchoring, this example illustrates the broader concept of cognitive biases, systematic patterns of deviation from rationality in judgment. Our brains often rely on mental shortcuts, leading to errors in reasoning. We exhibit 100+ such cognitive biases, which affect our everyday decision making.

I acknowledge that many of you in the market research field have valuable expertise and effectively utilize various techniques for marketing studies. However, my background is in the healthcare panel industry, where our focus is on providing healthcare professionals (HCPs) to complete your surveys. This led me to consider how we might apply similar behavioral science techniques to improve response rates among HCP panels.

Here are several effective ways we can leverage behavioral science to increase healthcare panel response rates. Below are some key concepts that can be utilized in this context:

1. Gaming Effect

Example: In addition to offering honoraria, provide participants with one LOI Bonus Point for every minute spent in a study. Once respondents accumulate 500 LOI Bonus Points, they can redeem them for a $50 gift card.

2. Reciprocity Bias
Example: Offer a small gift or incentive at the beginning of the survey (e.g., a gift card or a helpful resource). The feeling of having received something may motivate participants to reciprocate by completing the survey.

As a live example, tried and true; In the 1970’s, we used to add $1 into a TV diary to get a respondent to provide TV ratings. The respondent was not required to return the $1 if they did not respond, but even so it caused a significant increase in response. I guess my company was ahead of the Behavior Science curve.

3. Anchoring
Example: When inviting respondents to participate in the survey, inform them that they will receive an honorarium of $100. Then, ask if they believe the survey will take longer than 30 minutes to complete. Regardless of their response, let them know that the survey actually takes only 20 minutes. By using the 30-minute estimate as an anchor, the 20 minutes will feel much more enjoyable, and short.

4. Personalization
Example: Personalize the invitation and follow-up communications. Address respondents by name and tell them how many studies they have completed in the past to make them feel valued and understood.

The goal of understanding these biases, and using these strategies, is to ultimately boost survey response rates among healthcare professionals (HCPs).

While I don’t consider myself a behavioral science expert, I aim to understand these biases to help us make better-informed decisions in both personal and professional contexts. Many of you are experts in this field, and it’s essential for our industry to boost HCP response rates to ensure the integrity of our research. I invite you to share your ideas on how to leverage behavioral science to improve response rates by emailing me at jerry.arbittier@aops.us. I’ll feature your insights on my Healthcare Field Professional blog so we can enhance the industry together.