Incentive Justification

Periodic Survey – Survey Incentive

American Academy of Pediatrics (8/17)

The Periodic Survey is a program of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and is a survey on the attitudes and practices of pediatricians on a wide range of child health topics. Four surveys per year are conducted, each collecting responses from a unique, random sample of about 1,600 US-based, non-retired members of the AAP.

The Periodic Survey provides a $2 bill as a survey incentive in the first mailing of the survey. This is done primarily for two reasons:

1. To optimize survey response rates: the survey methodology literature indicates that even small monetary incentives improve response rates without negatively impacting the reliability or validity of survey responses. Internal research on previous AAP surveys indicates that including a two-dollar bill as a survey incentive increases the response rates for these surveys by 5-10 percentage points.

2. To say thank you to our respondents: By including the small monetary incentive as a token of appreciation, the AAP actively conveys to the respondents that leadership values and respects their time and input when completing the survey.

Survey Incentive: Periodic Survey Procedure for Mailing Cash Incentive

1. Check request to be completed at least one week before scheduled mailing date and given to the Senior Accountant, Division of Accounting. Senior Accountant will keep the money locked up until the day we begin stuffing the envelopes.

2. The $2 bills are included in the first mailing of the survey, meaning that all sampled individuals receive the survey incentive, regardless of whether they respond to the survey or not. We only withdraw the number of $2 bills required to complete the first mailing, which ensures that no survey incentives are left over after the first mailing is finished.

3. The actual stuffing of envelopes will take place in a conference room with closed door.

4. Research/Database Analyst and Division Assistant will be responsible for assembling the survey packets that include the monetary incentive. Any additional persons must be approved by the Survey Manager.

5. The money (either before it is included in the survey packet or after it is in the survey packet) will not be unattended at any time. One or more persons responsible for stuffing the survey envelopes or the Survey Manager must be:

1. in the room during the envelope stuffing process and

2. present until the money or stuffed survey packets are secured in a locked cabinet (Survey manager will have possession of the key).

6. All components of the survey packet will be grouped into counts of 100 and stuffed into the envelopes in batches of 100. This will serve as a check to ensure all components are included in every survey packet. In addition, the Survey Manager will conduct a random check among each group of 100 envelopes as a quality assurance measure.

7. If the survey packet stuffing must be interrupted or stopped at any time, including the lunch break or at the end of the day, all stuffed envelopes and any remaining money will be counted and stored in a locked cabinet.

8. Survey Manager will sign off on the stuffed survey packets before they are taken to the mail room.

9. Research/Database Analyst will accompany the stuffed survey packets to the mail room and observe them being sealed and posted for pick up by the post office.

10. The survey mailing list will be reviewed by the Survey Manager; Director, Division of Health Services Research and/or the Director, Department of Research to identify 1 or 2 known pediatricians in the sample who can be contacted after the mailing as a quality assurance check on receipt and completeness of survey packet.