ESRA 2027 sessions by theme
Back to Overview of Sessions
Knock-to-nudge methods for recruitment in surveys without field interviewers |
| Coordinator 1 | Professor Olga Maslovskaya (University of Southampton) |
| Coordinator 2 | Dr Cristian Domarchi (University of Southampton) |
| Coordinator 3 | Dr Carina Cornesse (GESIS) |
| Coordinator 4 | Dr Dina Neiger (Social Research Centre, Australia) |
| Coordinator 5 | Dr Ben Phillips (Social Research Centre, Australia) |
Session Details
As high-quality probability-based surveys increasingly move towards online and mixed-mode designs that include self-completion modes, innovative recruitment approaches are required to increase participation and representativeness. Knock-to-nudge (KtN) is one such approach: a contact method in which interviewers visit sampled households and encourage respondents at the doorstep to participate in a non-face-to-face survey at a later date. This may involve either making an appointment for a subsequent survey (typically conducted by telephone) or asking respondents to complete an online survey immediately or at their convenience.
Although research remains limited, early findings suggest that KtN can substantially increase response rates and improve sample composition by incorporating harder-to-survey population sub-groups, notably including those with lower educational attainment and socio-economic status. However, respondents recruited via KtN appear more likely to provide lower-quality data (e.g., higher item non-response) compared with those recruited at the initial stages of data collection. Importantly, the use of KtN increases fieldwork costs, as it requires deploying interviewers to the field. Assessing the effectiveness of a KtN strategy therefore requires acknowledging these trade-offs.
This session welcomes papers investigating KtN and other similar recruitment methods that employ field interviewers to encourage selected sample members to participate in a self-completion survey. Topics may include, but are not restricted to, the following areas:
• Implications of KtN and similar recruitment methods for survey participation, data quality, and survey engagement
• Use of KtN and similar recruitment methods to increase survey accessibility and inclusivity
• Cost and fieldwork implications of KtN and similar recruitment methods
• Use of survey data collected via KtN in substantive analysis
We encourage papers from researchers with a variety of backgrounds and across different sectors, including academia, national statistics offices, and research agencies.
