title: Prepaid monetary incentives-Predictors of taking the money and completing the survey: Results from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey.
abstract: Prepaid monetary incentives are used to address declining response rates in random-digit-dial surveys. There is concern among researchers that some respondents will accept the prepayment but not complete the survey. There is little research to understand check cashing and survey completing behaviors among respondents who receive pre-payment. Data from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Study-a longitudinal survey of smokers in Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia, were used to examine the impact of prepayment (in the form of checks, approximately $10USD) on sample profile. Approximately 14% of respondents cashed their check, but did not complete the survey, while about 14% did not cash their checks, but completed the survey. Younger adults (Canada, US), those of minority status (US), and those who had been in the survey for only two waves or less (Canada, US) were more likely to cash their checks and not complete the survey.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health & Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Seema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mutti
authors.affiliation: Institute for Global Tobacco Control, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Ryan David
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and School of Public Health & Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Geoffrey T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Fong
keywords: prepaid monetary incentives; public health; random-digit-dial (RDD); smokers; survey research; tobacco