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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2006 Apr 28:6:19.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-6-19.

Scratch lottery tickets are a poor incentive to respond to mailed questionnaires

Vilhjalmur Finsen  1 , Andreas H Storeheier
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Scratch lottery tickets are a poor incentive to respond to mailed questionnaires

Vilhjalmur Finsen et al. BMC Med Res Methodol. .

Abstract

Background: It has been demonstrated that the enclosure of money with a mailed questionnaire increases the response rate significantly. We evaluated scratch lottery tickets as an alternative to cash.

Methods: 1500 randomly selected Norwegians between the ages of 40 and 65 years were sent a short questionnaire. 250 received one lottery scratch ticket worth 20 Norwegian kroner (approximately 3 USD) together with the questionnaire, 250 received two scratch tickets, and 250 were promised two scratch tickets if they replied within one week. A fourth group of 250 persons received a 50 kroner banknote with the questionnaire. The remaining 500 letters served as controls.

Results: The overall response rate after 6 weeks was 77%. Logistic regression analysis showed that only the 50 kroner group had a response rate that was statistically significantly higher than the controls (p < 0.0001). It was also significantly higher than that in any of the other incentive groups (p < 0.0001, p < 0.004 and p < 0.0001 respectively). Female sex (p < 0.001) and age (p < 0.002) increased the response rate significantly.

Conclusion: It is possible that the recipients scratched their cards before completing the questionnaire, and that it was a disincentive for the majority that they did not win anything. Lottery scratch tickets are no substitute for cash as an incentive to respond to a questionnaire.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cumulative response rate in the various groups among men at the end of each of the first 6 weeks.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cumulative response rate in the various groups among women at the end of each of the first 6 weeks.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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