title: What respondents really expect from researchers.
abstract: This article addresses the issue of falling response rates in telephone surveys. To better understand and maintain respondent goodwill, concepts of psychological contract and respondent expectations are introduced and explored. Results of the qualitative study show that respondent expectations are not only socially contingent but also ego-expressive, utilitarian, pleasurable, and epistemic by nature. Although results are reassuring in terms of commercialization of the psychological contract, they indicate some radical changes that are needed for the respondents to accept its continuation. The article discusses several practical and theoretical implications of such changes and suggests a series of corresponding propositions aimed at facilitating and inspiring future developments in this field.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Tomaz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kolar
authors.forename: Iztok
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kolar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012108:Research Personnel; D035842:Research Subjects / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States