Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/312576 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
ZEW Discussion Papers No. 25-003
Publisher: 
ZEW - Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung, Mannheim
Abstract: 
This study investigates how elements of a survey invitation message targeted to businesses influence their participation in a self-administered web survey. We implement a full factorial experiment varying five key components of the email invitation. Unlike traditional experimental setups with static group composition, however, we employ adaptive randomization in our sequential research design. Specifically, as the experiment progresses, a Bayesian learning algorithm assigns more observations to invitation messages with higher starting rates. Our results indicate that personalizing the message, emphasizing the authority of the sender, and pleading for help increase survey starting rates, while stressing strict privacy policies and changing the location of the survey URL have no response-enhancing effect. The implementation of adaptive randomization is useful for other applications of survey design and methodology.
Subjects: 
Adaptive Randomization
Reinforcement Learning
Nonresponse
Email Invitation
Web Survey
Firm Survey
Organizational Survey
JEL: 
C11
C44
C93
D83
M00
M40
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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