Considerations of Methodological Approaches in the Recruitment and Retention of Immigrant Participants

Objective This study aims to identify effective strategies related to recruitment and retention of immigrant survey participants. Methodology The study used a multi-mode approach in, first, conducting a literature review of recent articles on surveys that either targeted immigrants or included large numbers of immigrants in their samples. Next, six surveys were reviewed that either targeted or included large numbers of immigrants. Finally, expert opinions on immigration were gathered regarding recruitment and retention of immigrant survey participants. Results Although immigrants may be difficult to recruit due to limited English proficiency, mistrust of strangers, and/or high mobility, many of these challenges can be overcome by adopting the same strategies used when surveying ethnically diverse populations (e.g., snowballing versus advertisement, establishing a personal connection with data collectors). Nonetheless, a few practices were identified as most relevant for recruitment and retention of immigrant populations, including involving local community organizations relevant to immigrants, translation of materials tailored to the vernacular language of the various ethnicities, and customizing nonmonetary incentives to the specific ethnicity. Conclusions Based on the reviews and expert interviews, multiple strategies have been shown to be effective in recruiting and retaining immigrant participants.