Switching a Face-to-Face Panel to Self-Administered Survey Modes: Experimental Evidence on Effects of Mode Assignment on Response and Selectivity

Abstract

Based on a mode experiment implemented in pairfam, a large, established German panel study, we investigate whether switching a panel from face-to-face to push-to-web survey mode leads to increased attrition and selectivity. We find that the redesign increases overall attrition by almost six percentage points, and causes even larger losses among full-time employed, self-employed, and less educated respondents. Two of the Big Five personality traits moderate the mode effect: conscientiousness and openness, while no differences are found for agreeableness, neuroticism, and extraversion. These results suggest that mode changes in a panel study bear risk for data quality in terms of sample size and selectivity.