Web Survey Bibliography
One of the questions when discussing the usefulness of Web surveys is whether they gain the same response rates compared to other survey modes. Anecdotal literature reviews suggest that in general, the Web survey response rates are considerably lower. However, such unsystematically synthesized evidence might be highly misleading. As an alternative, systematic meta-analytic procedures synthesizing controlled experimental mode comparisons could provide accurate answers, but to the best of our knowledge, these studies have not been conducted so far.
To overcome this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of 36 published experimental comparisons between Web and other survey modes. Due to the fact that response rates proportion differences tend to overestimate the heterogeneity of effects, we took the natural log of the odds-ratio as our effect size measure. To estimate the study population effect under a random effects model assumption, we firstly computed the mean effect size weighted for the inverse effect size variance as suggested by Lipsey and Wilson (2001). Subsequently, a homogeneity analysis and a meta-regression were performed. To predict the response rate variance on the effect size measure, the following study descriptors were included as independent variables: type of alternative mode (e.g., eMail, CATI, mail, fax, IVR), year of study, type of the target population (e.g., students, general population, ...), sponsorship (academic, government, commercial), and the implementation procedures (incentives, No of contacts, contact mode).
While the weighted mean effect size indicated a slight advantage for other than Web modes, the 95% confidence interval around this mean effect size estimate included zero. Thus, this results suggests that there is no systematic response rate differences between Web surveys and other modes. A homogeneity test revealed that the 36 effect sizes are homogeneous, indicating that the study descriptors are not systematically related to the effect size variability. This result was further supported by a meta-regression with the study descriptors included as independent variables, none of them exerting a significant predictive effect on the effect size variability.
Taken together, our meta-analysis highlights that the common assumption of lower response rates for Web surveys compared to other modes does not hold true if scrutinized with the aid of meta-analytic research synthesis procedures, taking into account experimentally controlled primary studies. From a practical point of view, these results might contribute to improve the reputation of Web surveys as one survey mode of comparable data quality with respect to response rates.
Web survey bibliography - 2005 (76)
- The ethics of research using electronic mail discussion groups; 2005; Kralik, D., Warren, J., Koch, T., Pignone, G., Price, K.
- The Analyses of Domestic Study about Internet Survey; 2005; Rui, L., Tie-ying, S.
- Controlling the Baseline Speed of Respondents: An Empirical Evaluation of Data Treatment Methods of...; 2005; Mayerl, J.
- Determinanten der Rücklaufquote in Online-Panels; 2005; Batanic, B., Moser, K.
- On the cost-efficiency of probability sampling based mail surveys with a Web response option; 2005; Werner, P.
- Expert workshop on mixed mode data collection in comparative social surveys; 2005; Roberts, C.
- The Effect Of A Simultaneous Mixed-Mode (Mail And Web) Survey On Respondent Characteristics And Survey...; 2005; Brennan, M.
- The total survey error approach. A guide to the new science of survey research; 2005; Weisberg, H. F.
- The professional respondent problem in online panel surveys today; 2005; Fulgoni, G.
- Satisficing behavior in online panelists; 2005; Downes-Le Guin, T.
- Reading behavior in the digital environment: Changes in reading behavior over the past ten years; 2005; Liu, Z.
- Rating versus comparative trade-off measures. Trending changes in political issues across time and predictive...; 2005; Thomas, R. K., Behnke, S., Johnson, Al., Sanders, M.
- Publication bias: Recognizing the problem, understanding its origins and scope, and preventing harm; 2005; Dickersin, K.
- Panel proliferation and quality concerns; 2005; Faasse, J.
- Gricean effects in self-administered survey. Ph.D. Dissertation; 2005; Yan, T.
- Drop-down boxes, radio buttons, or fill-in-the-blank? Web survey scale-type effects; 2005
- Does weighting for nonresponse increase the variance of survey means?; 2005; Little, R. J., Vartivarian, S.
- Big scale observations gathered with the help of client side paradata; 2005; Haraldsen, G., Kleven, O., Sundvoll, A.
- User Interface Design and Evaluation ; 2005; Stone, D., Jarrett, C., Woodroffe, M., Minocha, S.
- Adding Value to Data Through Improved Access. The Case for Web Portals; 2005; Baker, R. P.
- Multi-Mode Research and Data Linkage. Theoretical and Practical Advice; 2005; Terhanian, G.
- Architectural Design of a Survey Questionnaire and Respondent Data Repository. Practical Considerations...; 2005; Cookson, P., Sobell, J.
- Developing and validating a nursing website evaluation questionnaire; 2005; Tsai, S. - L., Chai, S.-K.
- Workaround: Site’s surveys beat pop-up blockers, yield responses; 2005; Arnold, C.
- The Story of Subject Naught: A Cautionary but Optimistic Tale of Internet Survey Research; 2005; Konstan, J. A., Ross, M. W., Rosser, B. R. S., Stanton, J. M., Edwards, W. M.
- Standards in Online Surveys. Sources for Professional Codes of Conduct, Ethical Guidelines and Quality...; 2005; Kaczmirek, L., Schulze, N.
- Computer adaptive testing; 2005; Gershon, R. C.
- Ego control and ego-resiliency: Generalization of self-report scales based on personality descriptions...; 2005; Block, J., Funder, D. C., Letzring, T. D.
- The Web experiment list: A Web service for the recruitment of participants and archiving of Internet...; 2005; Reips, U. -D., Lengler, R.
- Survey of substance use among high school students in Taipei: Web-based questionnaire versus paper-and...; 2005; Wang, Y. C., Lee, C. M., Lew-Ting, C. Y., Hsiao, C. K., Chen, W. J.
- Web Surveys. A Brief Guide on Usability and Implementation Issues; 2005; Kaczmirek, L.
- An assessment of measurement invariance between online and mail surveys ; 2005; Deutskens, E., de Ruyter, K., Wetzels, M.
- E-mail versus Web survey response rates among health education professionals; 2005; Kittleson, M. J., Brown, S. L.
- Toward An Open-Source Methodology: What We Can Learn From The Blogosphere; 2005; M.
- Aux Abonnes Absents: Liste Rouge Et Telephone Portable Dans Les Enquetes En Population Generale Sur...; 2005; Beck, F., ., Peretti-Watel, P.
- Web Versus Paper Questionnares: A Design and Functionality - Comparison; 2005; Jones, Ja., Fraser, C., Dowling, Z.
- Web Surveys and the new Disability Discrimination Act; 2005; Macer, T.
- Mixed-mode Surveys Using Mail and Web Questionnaires; 2005; Meckel, M., Baugh, P., Walters, D.
- Sampling procedure, questionnaire design, online implementation; 2005; Jackob, N., Arens, J., Zerback, T., Jowell, R., de Rouvray, C.
- Simple Approaches to Estimating the Variance of the Propensity Score Weighted Estimator Applied on Volunteer...; 2005; Isaksson, A., Lee, S., de Rouvray, C.
- Simple Approaches to Estimating the Variance of the Propensity Score Weighted Estimator Applied on Volunteer...; 2005; Isaksson, A., Lee, S.
- Alternative Modes for Health Surveillance Surveys: An Experiment with Web, Mail, and Telephone; 2005; Link, M. W., Mokdad, A.
- An Experimental Comparison Of Web And Telephone Surveys; 2005; Fricker, S., Galesic, M., Tourangeau, R., Yan, T.
- Organizational Virtual Communities: Exploring Motivations Behind Online Panel Participation; 2005; Daugherty, T., Lee, W.-N., Gangadharbatla, H., Kim, K., Outhavong, S.
- Promoting Uniform Question Understanding in Today's and Tomorrow's Surveys; 2005; Conrad, F. G., Schober, M. F.
- Is a Web survey as effective as a mail survey? A field experiment among computer users; 2005; Kiernan, N. E., Kiernan, M., Oyler, M. A., Gilles, C.
- The effect of personalization on response rates and data quality in web surveys; 2005; Heerwegh, D., Vanhove, T., Matthijs, K., Loosveldt, G.
- When Methodology Interferes With Substance; 2005; Schoen, H., Faas, T.
- Web-based and Mailed Questionnaires: A Comparison of Response Rates and Compliance; 2005; Baelter, K., Balter, O., Fondell, E., Trolle-Lagerros, Y.
- Bleeding Edge or Proven Technology? The Fact and the Fiction of Mobile Survey Computing; 2005; Cameron, M. R.