Decode and 'Nudge' the Young Indian into Answering an Email Survey

Online research has a plethora of benefits as compared to traditional methods of research. But it is plagued by disappointingly low response rates especially in India. The youth is a very attractive segment for many marketers and researchers. Since youth spend a large chunk of their time with the online media, this study was conducted to identify the drivers of response rates among the Indian youth. The underlying philosophy of this study was that the researcher can look at their respondent in the same way a marketer looks at his consumers. The principles of segmenting and positioning can be applied to respondents when the researcher tries to "sell" the survey to them through the email invitation.;An elaborate four-step research design was followed that involved three phases of qualitative research including a semiotic study of a video advertisement showcasing the Indian youth culture. This phase gave an insight into the mindset of the Indian youth. It was followed by an asynchronous online interaction with the youth to understand what motivates them to answer online surveys. The third phase was blog mining of expert advice to create a checklist of effective elements of a survey email invite. These were further validated and enriched by an elaborate quantitative experimental study where these elements were tested against a sample of 1500 young respondents from across the country divided into 26 experimental groups. Triangulation of data was achieved due to the multiphase research design to validate the findings.;Based on the rigorous study conducted, a checklist was created for creating a compelling invitation targeted towards the Indian youth for an online survey. Among others, the major recommendations included using a short and crisp subject line that calls for action and a friendly tone. If the email invite has been sent by a friend, the youth is compelled to answer the survey because they are highly driven by the need for 'affiliation'. The Indian youth firmly believes in the concept of "Karma". They believe that if they help someone, that person will reciprocate and help them back in future. Hence, the 'give and take' policy works very well especially when there is personal acquaintance between the researcher and the respondent. Surveys that position themselves as giving a chance to the youth to help to improve the society at large will motivate them. They have a high need to give back to the world and be catalysts to change. Another important element that engages the youth is 'humor'. Witty lines in the invite and a funky look and feel of the survey makes the youth enjoy the survey experience and hence reduces the dropout rates.;Based on the age and gender of the youth, the researcher can create valid combinations of the above elements. The findings of this study can be used as a checklist by researchers who are studying the Indian youth and also by marketers to create communications targeted towards the youth.;A hierarchy of effects model was composed to define the respondent's mental process. The drivers of engagement of the Indian youth were identified and correlated with what motivates them to answer online surveys. Also, a checklist was prepared with rules of thumb to be followed while preparing an effective email survey invite targeted towards the Indian youth.