Association Between Financial Incentives and Participant Deception About Study Eligibility

Key Points Question Is payment associated with participant deception about research eligibility and, if so, is higher payment associated with more deception? Findings In this randomized survey experiment of a nationally representative sample of 2275 US adults, offers of payment to participate in an online survey were associated with substantial deception by participants about their eligibility compared with the control condition, with estimated proportions of ineligible individuals who engaged in deception ranging from 10.5% to 22.8%. Larger payments were not associated with increased rates of deception. Meaning Payment may be associated with deception about eligibility for study participation, but higher payment may not lead to higher rates of deception.