Our research’s breadth lives on convenience samples A case study of the online respondent pool “SoSci Panel”

Abstract

Convenience samples have been a substantial driver of empirical social research for decades. Undergraduate students are still the researchers’ favorite subjects, but the importance of respondents recruited on the Internet is on the rise. This paper deals with the fuzzy concept of convenience samples, outlining their reasonable uses and limitations. To bolster the theoretical discussion on convenience samples with empirical evidence, findings from the non-commercial SoSci Panel, a large-scale volunteer respondent pool, are presented. Convenience pools allow for larger samples than traditional convenience samples, more heterogeneity, and better long-term availability of respondents. This paper discusses conditions of setting up a respondent pool and methodological and practical implications, such as software, tasks, respondent activity and panel loyalty.