Jackle, Annette and Burton, Jonathan and Couper, Mick P and Crossley, Thomas F and Walzenbach, Sandra (2023) Survey Consent to Administrative Data Linkage: Five Experiments on Wording and Format. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology. DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/jssam/smad019
Jackle, Annette and Burton, Jonathan and Couper, Mick P and Crossley, Thomas F and Walzenbach, Sandra (2023) Survey Consent to Administrative Data Linkage: Five Experiments on Wording and Format. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology. DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/jssam/smad019
Jackle, Annette and Burton, Jonathan and Couper, Mick P and Crossley, Thomas F and Walzenbach, Sandra (2023) Survey Consent to Administrative Data Linkage: Five Experiments on Wording and Format. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology. DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/jssam/smad019
Abstract
To maximize the value of the data while minimizing respondent burden, survey data are increasingly linked to administrative records. Record linkage often requires the informed consent of survey respondents, and failure to obtain consent reduces sample size and may lead to selection bias. Relatively little is known about how best to word and format consent requests in surveys. We conducted a series of experiments in a probability household panel and an online access panel to understand how various features of the design of the consent request can affect informed consent. We experimentally varied: 1) the readability of the consent request, 2) placement of the consent request in the survey, 3) consent as default versus the standard opt-in consent question, 4) offering additional information, and 5) a priming treatment focusing on trust in the data holder. For each experiment we examine effects of the treatments on consent rates, objective understanding of the consent request (measured with knowledge test questions), subjective understanding (how well the respondent felt they understood the request), confidence in their decision, response times, and whether they read any of the additional information materials. We find that the default wording and offering additional information do not increase consent rates. Improving the readability of the consent question increases objective understanding but does not increase the consent rate. However, asking for consent early in the survey and priming respondents to consider their trust in the administrative data holder both increase consent rates without negatively affecting understanding of the request.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | consent understanding; data linkage; informed consent; trust; wording experiments |
Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Institute for Social and Economic Research |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 28 Jun 2023 12:25 |
Last Modified: | 18 Mar 2024 12:56 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/35519 |
Available files
Filename: smad019.pdf
Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0