Is Consent to Further Panel Participation Selective? The Case of a Self-Administered Family Panel Survey Announcing Organizational Change

Changes in study design or procedures bear the risk of affecting survey participation and sample composition. Changing the organization responsible for data collection during a running panel may be a risk factor for increased selectivity, as respondents’ explicit consent to transfer data and contact information to the new organization may be required for continued participation. Based on data from wave 14 of the German Family Panel (pairfam), we investigate which respondent characteristics and characteristics related to their panel participation are associated with providing consent to data transfer when a change in organizational structure is announced. We focus on respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, factors related to the survey topic, such as respondents’ relationship status, and panel experience, such as the length and continuity of panel participation. While we find that some socio-demographic groups are less likely to provide panel consent, topic-related characteristics do not impact the decision to consent. Moreover, respondents who joined the panel only recently and those who have skipped previous waves (temporary drop-outs) are less likely to provide panel consent. As respondent consent is required in many cases of organizational change, panel surveys should be aware that this step might be a vulnerable point for respondents who are generally less likely to participate.