Lottery-Based versus Fixed Incentives to Increase Clinicians' Response to Surveys
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of lottery-based and fixed incentives on clinicians' response to surveys. DATA SOURCES: Three randomized trials with fixed payments and actuarially equivalent lotteries. STUDY DESIGN: Trial 1 compared a low-probability/high-payout lottery, a high-probability/low-payout lottery, and no incentive. Trial 2 compared a moderate-probability/moderate-payout lottery with an unconditional fixed payment (payment sent with questionnaire). Trial 3 compared a moderate-probability/moderate-payout lottery with a conditional fixed payment (payment promised following response). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Neither the low-probability nor high-probability lotteries improved response compared with no incentive. Unconditional fixed payments produced significantly greater response than actuarially equivalent lotteries, but conditional fixed payments did not. CONCLUSIONS: Lottery-based incentives do not improve clinicians' response rates compared with no incentives, and they are inferior to unconditional fixed payments.
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Financial incentives may act as a universal, simple, adaptable, alternative reinforcer.
“Since many health-compromising behaviours have benefits that may vary across individuals, financial incentives may act as a universal, simple, adaptable, alternative reinforcer (Halpern et al., 2011; John et al., 2011, 2012; Kim et al., 2012; Kimmel et al., 2012; Kullgren et al., 2013; Loewenstein et al., 2013; Shea et al., 2012; Volpp et al., 2008, 2011).”
From Addressing sleep disturbances: an opportunity to prevent cardiometabolic disease? (2014) · cites this paper as Halpern et al., 2011
Several studies have documented the benefits of financial incentives to change relatively intractable health-compromising behaviours.
“As such, several studies have documented the benefits of financial incentives to change relatively intractable health-compromising behaviours (Cahill & Perera, 2011; Halpern et al., 2011; John et al., 2011; Kim et al., 2012; Kimmel et al., 2012; Kullgren et al., 2013; Volpp et al., 2008).”
From Addressing sleep disturbances: an opportunity to prevent cardiometabolic disease? (2014) · cites this paper as Halpern et al., 2011
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“…behaviours have benefi ts that may vary across individuals, fi nancial incentives may act as a universal, simple, adaptable, alternative reinforcer (Halpern et al., 2011; John et al., 2011, 2012; Kim et al., 2012; Kimmel et al., 2012; Kullgren et al., 2013; Loewenstein et al., 2013; Shea et al.,…”
Background
- Authors
- Halpern, S. D., Kohn, R., Dornbrand-Lo, A., Metkus, T., Asch, D. A., & Volpp, K. G.
- Affiliations
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Philadelphia VA Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Halpern, Scott D.
- Venue
- Health Services Research
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-04-14
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1663-1674
- ISSN
- 0017-9124 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3207198
- OpenAlex
- W2111335450
- Cited by
- 77
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 13.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Health Services Research (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Pennsylvania
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Survey Methodology and Nonresponse
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Survey Sampling and Estimation Techniques
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Economic and Environmental Valuation
- Keywords
- lottery incentives, fixed payment, survey response rates, clinician participation, contingent payments, incentive design, conditional payments
- MeSH terms
- Attitude of Health Personnel, Choice Behavior, Humans, Motivation, Physicians, Surveys and Questionnaires, Token Economy, Chi-Square Distribution
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