Politician responses to material incentives for participation in surveys: Experimental evidence from South Africa

Abstract

Political scientists routinely focus their investigations on the attitudes and behaviours of politicians and increasingly study them through systematic surveys. As with all surveys, researchers aim to maximize response rates, but we know little about the incentives that motivate politicians to participate in survey research. In this paper, we consider whether financial incentives in the form of small cash payments or participation in lotteries for slightly larger rewards increase participation. Based on a randomized control trial (RCT) conducted as part of an effort to survey local councillors in South Africa, we find that, if anything, material incentives depress response rates overall – weighing against their use in future surveys. However, we also find some heterogeneity in estimated effects by political party, which may indicate that the intentional provision of material incentives can affect sample compositions in ways that may be beneficial for some studies. While our findings in this regard are only suggestive, they should inform future research and research methods.