Survey participation and retention

SBI contributors  

Prof. Dr. Michael Bergmann, Dr. Arne Bethmann, Maria Magdalena Quezada Villanueva, Imke Herold, Jessica Irving

Project description

To keep SHARE responsive to new developments, supplementary surveys are planned between the regular biennial waves. These “in-between” surveys allow the inclusion of new thematic modules that make the study more relevant for researchers. But they also raise concerns about increasing respondent burden. Older participants in particular may find more frequent survey invitations challenging, which could affect long-term participation. We investigate whether additional survey waves strengthen or weaken retention among this group. 

Another focus is on improving response to sensitive questions, such as income, and increasing willingness to consent to record linkage. Item non-response and missing consents reduce data quality, leading to biased analyses. In a German sub-study, a drop-off questionnaire explored trust in surveys, concerns about data privacy, and attitudes towards income questions. The findings underline how positive attitudes towards surveys foster cooperation, while confidentiality concerns make respondents less likely to provide income information or consent to data linkage. 

Finally, we study the conditions under which respondents agree to link their survey data with external sources. Comparative analyses of both actual and hypothetical consent provide insights into decision-making processes around data sharing. Understanding these patterns is key for designing consent procedures that are both ethical and effective.  

Together, these strands of work aim to reduce attrition, build trust, and strengthen the reliability of SHARE data over time. 

Status

Active

Selected publications 

Herold, I., Bergmann, M., & Bethmann, A. (accepted in Survey Research Methods). Trust in Surveys, Income Non-response and Linkage Consent – the SHARE Perspective. Available as preprint at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/3dxqu/. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/3dxqu 

Herold, I., Irving, J., Bethmann, A., & Pettinicchi, Y. (2025). Cross-European Consent to Data Linkage in the Ageing Population of 28 Countries. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202506.1027.v1 

Selected presentations 

Herold, I., Irving, J., Pettinicchi, Y., & Bethmann, A. (2025). Cross-European Consent to Data Linkage in the Aging Population of 28 Countries. 11th Conference of the European Survey Research Association (ESRA), Utrecht, the Netherlands. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16744332 

Quezada, M., & Bergmann, M. (2025). Impact of increased survey frequency on the participation of older respondents in longitudinal surveys. 11th Conference of the European Survey Research Association (ESRA), Utrecht, the Netherlands. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16682444 

Bethmann, A. (March 2024). Comparative analyses of consent rates in SHARE. Presented at CSDI Workshop, Berlin. Zenodo. https://zenodo.org/records/11064217 

Herold, I., Bethmann, A., Bergmann, M. (2023). Trust in surveys, income non-response and linkage consent – the SHARE perspective. 10th Conference of the European Survey Research Association (ESRA), Milan, Italy. 

Herold, I., Bethmann, A., Bergmann, M. (2022) Trust in surveys, income non-response and linkage consent – the SHARE perspective. Workshop „Survey Climate and Trust in Scientific Surveys – Recent Developments and Controversial Issues“, Kassel, Germany.