Social media as a recruitment and data collection tool: Experimental evidence on the relative effectiveness of web surveys and chatbots

Online technologies enable lower-cost, rapid data collection, but concerns about sample composition biases and mode-specific measurement error impede their use. I conduct a randomized experiment in the Philippines to test effectiveness of web-form chatbot surveys K–12 teachers recruited through social media compare with phone from pre-existing frame. Chatbot yield higher response rates higher-quality than terms missed question item differentiation. The results suggest that responses match CATI on multiple dimensions quality. Relative CATI, online methods also or information disclosure potentially sensitive topics, revealing substantially levels distress among teachers. show media-based recruitment can be an attractive alternative for targeted sampling implemented effectively at fraction cost surveys.