Respondent Co-Operation in Focus Groups: A Field Study using Moderator Ratings

This research links the quality of respondents’ participation in focus groups as judged by moderators with an array of respondents’ background characteristics. This array includes: previous experience with focus groups; attitudes towards and motivation for attendance; age, sex, employment status, level of education; and different measures of civic involvement. The findings show that respondents who place less emphasis on the monetary incentive as a reason for attendance, who are better educated and who have a stronger civic orientation are judged by moderators to be more invested in the research process.