Open AccessThe Pass‐Along Effect: Investigating Word‐of‐Mouth Effects on Online Survey Procedures
Author(s) -
Norman Andrew T.,
Russell Cristel A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of computer‐mediated communication
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.15
H-Index - 119
ISSN - 1083-6101
DOI - 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00309.x
Subject(s) - word of mouth , context (archaeology) , survey research , sample size determination , sample (material) , psychology , survey data collection , empirical research , social psychology , computer science , advertising , applied psychology , statistics , mathematics , geography , business , chemistry , archaeology , chromatography
Email petitions to complete online surveys may be forwarded beyond the intended sample. We term this phenomenon the pass‐along effect and investigate it as a factor that can influence the nature and size of survey samples in an online context. We establish the pass‐along effect as a form of word‐of‐mouth communication and draw from the literature in this area to present and test a model of factors that influence the occurrence of this effect. The results of two studies provide empirical support for the existence and impact of the pass‐along effect. Among the factors that lead to this effect are involvement and relationship with the survey topic, size of a participant’s social network, and tie strength. The appropriateness of employing pass‐along respondents as well as other implications for online sampling and survey research are discussed.