The 'Why's of Taking Part in Research

Why is knowing participants’ reasoning for taking part in studies so important?

One of the core reasons Ayda was founded was the current ‘participant crisis’ facing the industry. Participants have fallen to the bottom of the priority list for too long, making them less willing to participate in research and, in turn, harder and more expensive to recruit. The 2017 GRIT CPR Report found that only 25% of all research respondents worldwide are satisfied with their experience when participating in research.

Creating a participant-first approach is vital for successful, ethical, and responsible research; understanding why participants participate is a hugely important part of that.

Our CEO, Shifra, recently hosted a webinar about the participant crisis and how Ayda helps establish and guide a participant-first research approach. If you’re interested in learning more about the participant crisis, you can do so here.

Top 5 reasons why participants take part in research

Here at Ayda, we pride ourselves on being a participant-first company. We recently surveyed over 1,200 participants who have completed our participant journey so we could understand more about participants and what motivated them to take part in research to develop further our relationship with those who use our platform.

So let’s get into it; here are the top five reasons why participants take part in research:

Interest in the topic - 72.4%

Participants' top reason for participating in research is out of interest in the subject matter being discussed. This is great news for the industry and the accuracy of research, as participants are giving insight into areas of their lives they care about. This is not unlike Greenbook’s findings that for over a third of participants, knowing the brand or sponsor of the research positively impacted their willingness to participate.

Payment - 51.6%

This might not come as much of a surprise to anyone, but earning a reward for participation ranks highly as a reason to take part. This could be cash, a voucher, or even a gift. Although Ayda is incentive agnostic, approximately 95% of participants claim cash incentives through the platform. Incentives can vary depending on the type of research, industry, and geography of participants. Our findings align with those of the 2017 GRIT CPR Report, which found that a third of all participants said earning a reward was their primary reason for participating in research.

Enjoyment - 43.7%

Participants generally enjoy taking part in qualitative research. While our research was conducted with participants who have taken part in qualitative research, it is important to ask if it is the same for those who take part in quantitative research to understand the connection between the type of research and the level of enjoyment. The research design is found to have affected participants' willingness to participate. Quite a few aspects of research design can influence a participant’s initiative to participate in research. This could be the length, the incentive amount, or the style of research, among others.

To learn about new products and services on the market - 42.5%

If you’re conducting research about a product or service, chances are that the participants are interested in learning about your new additions to the market! Creating an enjoyable environment for participants will make them more likely to spend time learning and discussing new products and services willingly.

To help shape important decisions - 39.1%

Lastly, participants are interested in helping to shape important decisions. Participating in research studies makes participants feel they have a voice in important outcomes. By designing research that is not only financially motivating but also motivating in other ways, the participant experience will be improved for all participants.