Willingness to Participate in Respondent-Driven Sampling: Findings from the German Social Cohesion Panel

Abstract

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) has been shown to be a promising network sampling strategy. However, it has also been shown to fail in some applications. Basing an RDS procedure on an existing panel study may, therefore, contain the risk of failure and might even alienate non-compliant seeds. This study therefore investigates the hypothetical willingness of general population panel participants to recruit their social network members using RDS. The study reveals that nearly half of the online participants of the panel survey selected for the study are willing to recruit. Reasons for unwillingness include discomfort in inviting others and the belief that they are already contributing sufficiently. Proportional odds ordinal logistic regression analyses reveal that most of the anticipated predictor variables for willingness have no effect. However, an increased willingness to recruit is observed among respondents of younger age, with an immigration background, and with politically extreme opinions. The findings suggest a substantial potential for RDS in online surveys but highlight the need for further empirical studies to evaluate actual recruitment behaviors and refine RDS strategies.