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Web Survey Bibliography

Title Assessment of Variations in Response Rate of Web-Based Student Surveys
Year 2007
Access date 23.05.2007
Abstract

There has been an increasing interest in using the Web for data collection. This method is attractive for populations whose e-mail addresses can be easily obtained. The Web-based approach has been used with college students most of whom have e-mail addresses provided through their institutions. However, there is a large variation in the extent of technology use in academic Institutions. Even though students Might have e-mail addresses, al! institutions do not provide equal access to technology resources. There ore noticeable differences in the technology environment of different institutions. These differences can easily have an effect on the efficacy of Web-based surveys. This paper reports on ten different Web-based surveys conducted in ten universities representing public, private, large and small institutions in a south-eastern state in the USA. The Web-survey was designed to evaluate negative consequences of alcohol use. The protocol involved an e-mail invitation to the sample followed by four reminders over the period of a week. The surveys were done in the fall of 2005.The results indicate a range of response rates from 11% to 33%. This paper suggests thaf this variation is related to the technology environment of the institutions. Using standardized technology ranking of institutions the data provides some support to the hypothesis that students in institutions with a more evolved technology environment are likely to respond more to Web-based surveys. The data also suggests that students in smaller institutions have a different response rate compared to larger institutions. The finding from this study can help to better plan future Web-based data collection designs for academic institutions. Future studies could estimate expected response rates by evaluating the technology environment. This Information can help to create an appropriate sample design and data collection protocol. Eventually, appropriate design can lead to better use of data collection resources.

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Year of publication2007
Bibliographic typeConferences, workshops, tutorials, presentations
Full text availabilityAvailable on request
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Web survey bibliography - The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) 62th Annual Conference, 2007 (1)