More households are completing the survey online, but the youth questionnaire has remained paper-based. Even after adding another reminder and copy of the questionnaire, the youth response is still much lower than when the study was interviewer-administered only. This experiment tests offering the youth survey online to counter this decline.
Children in a household that completed the grid online or by telephone were sent the invite to the youth survey by post. This included a paper questionnaire, a covering letter with a QR code and URL and access code to complete online, unconditional incentive, and a leaflet. In half of households, the covering letter mentioned that if the child completed the survey online or returned the questionnaire, they would be sent an additional £5 gift card. The leaflet was either one targeted to the young person, or targeted towards the parent.
When the interviewer completed the grid, they handed over the youth self-completion questionnaire, covering letter (with QR code/url and access code to complete online), and unconditional voucher. For children in these households the offer of an additional conditional offer and the leaflet were included in the first reminder (sent from the office).
All of this was implemented outside the questionnaire, either by the fieldwork agency or by the interviewer in the household. Treatment groups were allocated at the household level. The controlling variables are in file p_hhsamp_ip:
ff_youthincentw16 (1/2 each, allocations stratified by ff_incentw16 ff_gridmodew16 sampleorig)
1 = £5 conditional
2 = None
ff_youthleafletw16 (1/2 each, allocations stratified by ff_incentw16 ff_gridmodew16 sampleorig)
1 = Child targeted
2 = Parent targeted
