Table 1.
Characteristics of studies that used Craigslist to recruit participants, and if relevant compared Craigslist with other Internet and traditional participant recruitment sources.
| First author; year | Targeted clinical population/disorder; # of participants | Participants paid after study entrya | Traditional recruiting sources | Craigslist and other Internet media recruiting sources | Cost effectiveness evaluation | Significant differences (Not applicable = NA) | Most successful sources (%) | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current study; 2015 | Problem drinkers; N= 473 | $20.00 | Newspapers (N) | Craigslist (C), jobs section (JS) in metropolitan cities in 48 different states | N = $116.88; C = $1.46 | C younger, less severe drinking problems, higher socioeconomic status than N participants | N = 60.25%; C = 39.75% | |
| Grov; 2014 | Men who have sex with men; N = 148 | No | Gay bars/clubs (BC); private sex parties (SP)b | Craigslist (C) in men-seeking-men (MSM) section in NYC | No | SP older, higher % of STI histories; C least likely to self-identify as gay | Goal: recruit 50 from each source (BC, SP, & C). Software error lost 2 BC participants | |
| Worthen; 2014 | Obesity; N = 38 | $25.00 target gift card | None | Craigslist (C) in volunteer community section (VCS) | No cost for ads | NA | NA | |
| Morgan; 2013 | Depression; N = 1699 | No | None | Google advertising (GA); Facebook (FB); online forums (depression; OF); other websites (W); online community noticeboards (Craigslist; ON); emails (E) | GA = $11.55 ADc FB = $19.89 ADc | NA | GA = 44.44%; W = % not provided | Due to technical oversight, recruitment source missing for some participants; cost per participant provided only for GA and FB |
| Grov; 2012 | Men who have sex with men; N = 601 | Bars/clubs and bathhouses — given 2 $1.00 scratch-off lottery tickets; Craigslist — entered raffle awarding 4 $50 Amazon gift cards | Gay bars/clubs (BC); bathhouses (B) | Craigslist (C) in men-seeking-men (MSM) section in NYC | No | BC youngest; B most ethnically and racially diverse; C least likely to self-identify as gay | C = 34.61%; B = 33.11% | Goal: recruit 200 from each source (BC, B, and C). |
| Mohebati; 2012 | Smokers; N = 84 | $40.00 for 1st 2 visits and $190 at completion of study for travel and parking expenses | Word of mouth (WM) | Craigslist (C) in community volunteers section (VCS) in Manhattan | No | NA | C = 97.62%; WM = 2.38% | Study was designed to use only Craigslist; however, 2.38% of participants recruited via WM |
| Bansal-Travers; 2011 | Smokers; N = 193 | $20.00 | Newspapers (N) | Craigslist (C) no section reported | No | NA | NA | Sample sizes per recruitment source not provided |
| Siegel; 2011 | Adolescents ages 16–18; ≥1 alcoholic drink in past 30 days; N = 241 | $10.00 Amazon gift cards | None | Craigslist (C), in VCS | No cost for ads | NA | NA | |
| Ramo; 2010 | Smokers ages 18–25; N = 201 | Chance to win raffle prize of $25 or $400 | None | Craigslist (C) in VCS in 23 metropolitan cities; Adbrite advertisingd (social networking & lifestyle-based websites; AA); Survey Sampling Internationale(email campaign; SSI) | C = $0.66; AA = $42.77; SSI = $19.24 | AA younger; SSI slightly heavier smokers; C more ethnically diverse and more likely to have completed college or some postgraduate education | AA = 45.27%; SSI = 33.33% |
Note. Traditional recruiting sources refer to any form of broadcast or print media (e.g., radio, television, newspaper, mailings, and flyers) and word of mouth. Internet recruiting sources refer to any form of advertising via the World Wide Web (e.g., Google Adwords, Craigslist, and Facebook), electronic mail (e-mail), and online forums.
Payment for follow-up not included here.
Grov, Rendina, and Parsons, 2014 indicated that research staff contacted event promoters and space managers of private sex parties (SP), and provided them with study recruitment cards and asked them to include information about the study in e-newsletters to their members. These recruitment efforts were considered traditional, because (a) recruitment cards are a form of print media, and (b) the research staff did not directly send out e-newsletters to SP members.
AD = Australian Dollars.
Paid advertising on a variety of Web sites through Adbrite, an Internet marketing company.
Purchased completed surveys through Survey Sampling International, an online survey sampling company.