Monetary Incentives versus Promised Contribution to Charity: New Evidence on Mail Survey Response
研究比较了邮件调查中附寄现金与承诺向受访者选择的慈善机构捐款两种激励方式的效果，发现现金激励显著提高回复率，而慈善承诺效果不显著。
The relative efficacy of two types of incentives for producing responses to a mail survey was investigated. Personal cash payments of varying amounts enclosed with the questionnaire were compared with promises of a contribution to a charity of the respondent's choice and with a no-incentive control. Contrary to a previous research finding reported in the literature, the charity incentive did not produce a significantly greater return rate than was obtained with the no-incentive control. Personal cash incentives produced a significantly greater response rate than either the no-incentive control condition or the charity-incentive condition. Results of the study are interpreted as consistent with a cognitive dissonance theory of mail questionnaire response.