alpdata.rand.org
A nationally representative online
survey panel for research offering
RELIABILIT Y
FLEXIBILIT Y
AFFORDABILIT Y
What is the RAND American Life Panel?
The RAND American Life Panel (ALP) is a diverse, nationally representative,
probability-based panel consisting of approximately 6,000 members ages 18 and
older who are regularly surveyed over the Internet for research purposes. The
RAND ALP has been regularly collecting rich data on a range of topics
since 2006.
About Our Panel
Since its start, the ALP has expanded to more than 6,000 U.S. adults. Panel
members have been recruited using a variety of sampling methods; the majority
of the panel was recruited using address-based sampling and random digit dial
(land line and cell). Because not everyone has ready access to the Internet, we
provide our panel members with the technology they need to respond quickly
to any survey we program for them, usually in the form of a laptop and Internet
access. This means our panel is representative of the nation, not just those who
can afford to participate. We also pay panel members quarterly and offer help
desk support in English and Spanish. This helps keep our response rates
high—typically between 70 and 80 percent.
Advantages of the RAND American Life Panel
In addition to offering a quick turnaround and a high response rate, advantages
of using the ALP include:
•
Ability to link your data with previously collected survey data. We have
been collecting data since 2006 and data from hundreds of surveys are
available to download for registered users on the ALP data pages.
•
Responsive design so respondents can answer surveys using desktop
computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
•
Customizable surveys. Keep it short (you need not ask for demographic
information that is already available) and simple—or add complex routing
and interactive features.
•
Interactive features. Add graphs, drag-and-drop, sorting, and other
dynamic functionality; collect biometric data, GPS or IP location data,
or combine an online survey with a paper or smartphone diary.
•
Social Networking Data Collection. We also have a unique personal
relationship module that allows researchers to map participants’
social networks.
•
Target your sample to key demographics like age and income, or even
by responses to a specific question on another survey.
•
Longitudinal panel. You can come back year after year to the very
same members and track how their responses change over time.
Methodological Flexibility
The ALP supports quick-turnaround studies, experiments, and methodological
studies. Some examples include:
•
Development of new survey instruments. Easy, quick access to respondents
allows you to test the optimal design for your new survey instrument.
•
Experiments. Replicate laboratory experiments on a much larger scale
and with a population-representative sample, rather than a limited group of
experimental subjects.
•
Randomization. Randomly assign question orders or response orders.
•
Preference elicitation. Elicit preferences over a wide array of topics by
randomly assigning respondents to different hypothetical scenarios on which
their ratings or preference orders are then elicited.
•
Visual representation. Use videos, pie charts, or other graphical means to
represent probabilities, or the use of calendars to aid recall of events from
one’s childhood.
•
Feedback and preloading. Provide customized feedback to a respondent
to cue for another answer or ask targeted follow-up questions. Preload data
based on previous responses. Experiment with different types of feedback.
Who Can Use the Panel and How Does It Work?
The panel can be used for research purposes by any researcher with policyrelated questions. The researcher provides a draft questionnaire, which we then
review and program. The researcher can then test, review, and revise the survey.
Throughout the process we work with you on designing your survey—from sample
selection, to field dates, to even customizing the announcements panel members
receive. Once the survey is ready to field, we notify panel members. While in the
field, researchers can access their data in real time. Once the survey is closed,
data can be made available to the larger research community, or embargoed for
a select amount of time, ensuring you have first access to the data.
Services and Pricing
We provide a full suite of services to ensure that your study objectives are met,
while being cost-effective and scientifically rigorous. We can provide statistical
consulting services, as well as survey design assistance as needed. The ALP
survey rate covers the basic costs of fielding your survey, including programming,
development, and maintenance of the survey software; panel maintenance and
recruiting; providing laptops and Internet subscriptions; incentive payments to
respondents; dissemination of data and documentation; and administration,
client relations, and management.
$3.00 per survey minute for the first 500 respondents
$2.50 per survey minute for the next 500 respondents
$2.00 per survey minute for any respondent beyond 1,000
$2,000 server administration fee
For example, 1,500 respondents taking a 10-minute
interview would cost $39,500.
Contact Us
Please contact us at any stage of your project. You can reach
the ALP team by email at alp@rand.org or directly:
Krishna Kumar
Director
RAND American Life Panel
310.393.0411 x7589
kumar@rand.org
Alerk Amin
Technical Director
RAND American Life Panel
310.393.0411 x7286
aamin@rand.org
Karen Edwards
General Manager
RAND American Life Panel
310.393.0411 x6508
kedwards@rand.org
ALP SURVEY SHOWCASE
Financial Crisis Surveys
Launched in November 2008, the ALP Financial Crisis Surveys were collected to track the
experience of American households during the Great Recession and its aftermath.
RAND Health Reform Opinion Study
Beginning with a baseline survey in September 2013, these monthly surveys tracked changes
in attitude, opinion, and behavior during the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act.
The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the ALP
A set of surveys based on the HRS’s 2008 and 2012 waves is being conducted. The main
goal behind fielding these surveys in the ALP is to obtain a rich set of background variables
that can be used in conjunction with data collected in domain-specific surveys—e.g., using
the HRS health survey data in combination with data on health literacy.
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Survey of Consumer Payment Choice
This survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston looks at payments from the consumer’s
point of view with three goals: (1) to model consumer behavior, (2) to see how behavior
changes over time, and (3) to understand what consumers prefer.
Election Surveys
The 2012 Election Surveys allowed us to ask the same people for their opinion repeatedly
over time. In comparison to most polls, this lead to much more stable outcomes; the observed
changes were true changes in people’s opinions and not the result of random fluctuations
in the survey sample.
CP-508 (4/16)
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
EDUCATION AND THE ARTS
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE
INFRASTRUCTURE AND
TRANSPORTATION
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
LAW AND BUSINESS
NATIONAL SECURITY
POPULATION AND AGING
PUBLIC SAFETY
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
TERRORISM AND
HOMELAND SECURITY
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