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Objective: With response rates of large-scale surveys having decreased significantly over the years and rebounds seeming unlikely, many studies now examine how response rates vary with methodological design and incentives. This investigation delves into how individual-level factors shape survey participation. Specifically, we examine the influence of individuals’ democratic engagement and their trust in institutions on intent to participate in surveys, both directly and indirectly through their perceptions of surveys. Methods: We collected survey data from a probability sample of adults (N = 1343) in Mannheim, Germany, from November 2019 to March 2020. Structural equation models were estimated to test the hypothesized relationships. Results: The analyses support most, but not all, hypothesized relationships. Democratic engagement bolstered intent to participate, directly as well as indirectly through perceptions of surveys. Institutional trust, on the other hand, only influenced the outcome measure indirectly. Perceptions of surveys had a strong bearing overall effect on intent to participate. Conclusion: The study's results suggest that the response rates and larger issues related to the perceived legitimacy of public opinion and survey research might be intertwined with orientations related to people's civic and political life. The article discusses potential ways survey researchers can counteract distrust in surveys.

Survey research is still confronted by a trend of increasing nonresponse rates. In this context, several methodological advances have been made to stimulate participation and avoid bias. Yet, despite the growing number of tools and methods to deal with nonresponse, little is known about whether nonresponse biases show similar trends as nonresponse rates and what mechanisms (if any) drive changes in bias. Our article focuses on biases in cohort distributions in the U.S. and German general social surveys from 1980 to 2012 as one of the key variables in the social sciences. To supplement our cross-national comparison of these trends, we decompose changes into within-cohort change (WCC) and between-cohort change. We find that biases in cohort distributions have remained relatively stable and at a relatively low level in both countries. Furthermore, WCC (i.e., survey climate) accounts for the major part of the change in nonresponse bias.

Researchers in several countries have regularly reported decreasing response rates for surveys and the need for increased efforts in order to attain an acceptable response rate: two things that can be seen as signs of a worsening survey climate. At the same time, differences between countries and surveys with regard to the actual level and evolution of response rates have also been noted. Some of these differences are probably linked to differences in the survey content or design. This may hinder the study of the evolving survey climate over time, based on different surveys in different countries, because more readily comparable conditions are desirable. An optimal opportunity for describing the changing survey climate is offered by the Survey of Social-Cultural Changes in Flanders. We analyse yearly data from 1996 to 2013 to examine the evolution of several survey climate indicators. Some indicators reveal a declining survey climate, such as an increased refusal rate and a greater number of contact attempts per respondent. Other indicators reveal a stable survey climate, such as a stable response rate and respondents’ positive, stable attitude towards surveys. Results show that, within the same survey, one can compensate for negative evolution by increasing the efforts made to ensure completed interviews. ispartof: Survey Methods: Insights from the Field status: published