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Web Survey Bibliography

Title Audience Power, Personalized Salutation and Responses to Web Surveys
Author Joinson, A. N.
Year 2005
Access date 19.10.2005
Abstract Anonymity, in various guises, has been one of the key aspects of people’s online experiences used to explain computer-mediated communication effects. This is similarly true in the domain of survey methodology - anonymity, or at least reduced researcher presence and increased technological mediation of participant responses has been linked to the reduction of a number of response biases. In this talk, I will examine the trend towards the personalization of people’s Internet experiences, and will argue that personalization poses a threat to anonymity in a survey environment. A series of experiments are outlined in which personalized salutation, audience power and authentication method are manipulated, and response rates and self-disclosure to self-administered web surveys measured. The results show that respondents to web-based surveys are sensitive to changes in the power of the audience (in the form of the person inviting them to participate in the survey) and their perceived anonymity. Specifically, while a personalized salutation combined with a high power requestor yields significantly higher response rates, possible response biases caused by this need to be taken into account. Implications for the design of web-based surveys to maximise response rates while promoting data quality are discussed.
Year of publication2005
Bibliographic typeConferences, workshops, tutorials, presentations
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Web survey bibliography - 2005 (76)

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