Web Survey Bibliography
Being the first chain in the recruiting process, variations of email invitations are known to have a strong impact on response rates and overall performance of online surveys. As different invitation emails lead to different login rates these differences carry on to the end of a survey and affect the overall completion rates (Neubarth, Kaczmirek, Bosnjak, Bandilla & Couper, 2006). Time spent on the construction and design of invitation emails is therefore well spent to ensure an optimal outcome for the whole survey.
Basically three technologies to send out emails may be distinguished. (1) Usually emails are sent in pure text format, i.e. without graphics and the login link visible in its http-format. This corresponds to the actual standard in online survey research. (2) The other two methods use the HTML-format to send out emails. Here, the standard procedure is to store graphics on an external server. When opening the message, the graphics need to be downloaded. As this might be seen as a security breach, graphics are often blocked and need an explicit user action to be shown. Blocked graphics can result in a confusing text layout and might, at best, be ignored. (3) In the third method the pictures themselves are included in the email. Hence, there are no security issues about these graphics and standard email clients display all of them at once.
In a broad series of experiments the effects of the emailing technologies on the re-sponse rate were evaluated. For this purpose the Respondi AG sent out about 18.000 invitation emails, around 6.000 for each of the three techniques stated above. In dif-ferent studies incentives, length of email, the design of the login links and the survey topics were varied among the experiments. Thus, the effect of the email technique could be proven in different frameworks.
The presentation will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the three stated email techniques. Furthermore, analyses are presented, which point out the effect of each technique on the response rates. In conclusion practical advices on how invitation emails should look like are discussed.
Die Rücklaufquote und der Gesamterfolg einer Online-Umfrage werden bereits durch die Qualität der Einladungs-Mail stark beeinflusst. Unterschiedliche Loginraten auf-grund verschiedener Einladungen setzen sich durch den gesamten Befragungsverlauf bis zum endgültigen Rücklauf fort (Neubarth, Kaczmirek, Bosnjak, Bandilla & Couper, 2006). Daher ist es äußerst wichtig bereits der Einladung einer Umfrage gro-ße Aufmerksamkeit zu widmen. In diesem Beitrag werden experimentell die techni-schen Aspekte beim Mailversand evaluiert.
Für den Versand von E-Mails stehen derzeit im Wesentlichen drei verschiedene Technologien zur Verfügung: (1) Klassisch werden E-Mails in reinem Textformat verschickt. Dies entspricht auch dem aktuellen Standard der Umfrageforschung. (2) Seit einiger Zeit besteht zusätzlich die Möglichkeit E-Mails auch im HTML-Format zu verschicken. Erforderliche Bilder werden dabei von einem externen Server nachge-laden. (3) Eine weitere Variante verschickt ebenfalls HTML-Mails. Hierbei werden die verwendeten Bilder jedoch in die Nachricht eingebunden und müssen daher nicht explizit vom Rezipienten nachgeladen werden. Verbindungen zu weiteren Servern, wie sie von den Standardclients unterbunden werden, sind dabei nicht erforderlich.
In einer umfassenden Experimentalreihe wurde der Einfluss der Mailtechnik auf die Rücklaufquote überprüft. Die Respondi AG verschickte zu diesem Zweck insgesamt ca. 18000 Einladungen, davon jeweils etwa 6000 für jede der drei oben genannten Techniken. Die verschiedenen Studien unterschieden sich außerdem hinsichtlich In-centives, Maillängen, unterschiedlich gestalteter Zugangslinks und letztlich auch in den Umfragethemen. Durch diese Variation weiterer Einflussgrößen, musste sich der Effekt der E-Mail-Technik auf den Rücklauf unter verschiedenen Rahmenbedingun-gen bewähren.
Unser Beitrag erörtert die positiven und negativen Effekte der drei genannten Techni-ken. Weiterhin werden Analysen vorgestellt, die zeigen, wie sich die Rücklaufquote durch den Einsatz der einzelnen Technologien verändert. Im Anschluss werden prak-tische Ratschläge zur Gestaltung von Einladungs-Mails diskutiert.
German Online Research Conference (GOR) 2007 (abstract)
Web Survey Bibliography - Kaczmirek, L. (69)
- Cognitive Probes in Web Surveys: On the Effect of Different Text Box Size and Probing Exposure on Response...; 2013; Behr, D., Bandilla, W., Kaczmirek, L., Braun, M.
- GESIS Online Panel Pilot: Results from a Probability-Based Online Access Panel; 2013; Kaczmirek, L., Bandilla, W., Schaurer, I., Struminskaya, B., Weyandt, K.
- Effects of incentive reduction after a series of higher incentive waves in a probability-based online...; 2013; Struminskaya, B., Kaczmirek, L., Schaurer, I., Bandilla, W.
- Sample composition discrepancies in different stages of a probability-based online panel; 2013; Bosnjak, M., Haas, I., Galesic, M., Kaczmirek, L., Bandilla, W., Couper, M. P.
- Challenges of assessing the quality of a prerecruited probability-based panel of internet users in...; 2012; Struminskaya, B., Kaczmirek, L.
- Item comparability in cross-national surveys: results from asking probing questions in cross-national...; 2012; Behr, D., Braun, M., Kaczmirek, L., Bandilla, W.
- Assessing Cross-National Equivalence of Measures of Xenophobia: Evidence from Probing in Web Surveys; 2012; Behr, D., Braun, M., Kaczmirek, L.
- The Mode of Invitation for Web Surveys; 2012; Bandilla, W., Couper, M. P., Kaczmirek, L.
- GESIS Online Access Panel Pilot Study: Recruitment and Panel Maintenance; 2012; Kaczmirek, L., Bandilla, W., Schaurer, I., Struminskaya, B., Weyandt, K.
- Panel Conditioning: Results from Two Experiments in a Probability-based Online Panel; 2012; Struminskaya, B., Kaczmirek, L., Schaurer, I., Bandilla, W.
- WEBDATANET: A Network on Web-based Data Collection, Methodological Challenges, Solutions and Implementation...; 2012; Steinmetz, S., Kaczmirek, L., de Pedraza, P., Reips, U. -D., Tijdens, K., Lozar Manfreda, K., et, al...
- The price we have to pay: Incentive experiments in the recruitment process for a probability-based online...; 2012; Schaurer, I., Struminskaya, B., Kaczmirek, L., Bandilla, W.
- Little experience with technology as a cause of nonresponse in online surveys; 2012; Struminskaya, B., Schaurer, I., Kaczmirek, L., Bandilla, W.
- Asking Probing Questions in Web Surveys: Which factors have an Impact on the Quality of Responses? ; 2012; Behr, D., Kaczmirek, L., Braun, M., Bandilla, W.
- Testing the Validity of Gender Ideology Items by Implementing Probing Questions ; 2012; Behr, D., Braun, M., Kaczmirek, L., Bandilla, W.
- Online Research @ GESIS; 2011; Kaczmirek, L., Lenzner, T.
- Seeing Through the Eyes of the Respondent: An Eye-tracking Study on Survey Question Comprehension; 2011; Lenzner, A., Kaczmirek, L., Galesic, M.
- Equivalence of Measures of Xenophobia in Cross National Survey Research: Findings Based on a Web Probing...; 2011; Bandilla, W., Behr, D., Braun, M., Kaczmirek, L., Majer, S.
- Asking sensitive questions in a recruitment interview for an online panel: the income question; 2011; Schaurer, I., Struminskaya, B., Kaczmirek, L., Bandilla, W.
- Cognitive process in answering questions: Are verbal labels in rating scales attended to?; 2011; Menold, N., Kaczmirek, L., Lenzner, T.
- Cognitive interviewing in web surveys: the use of probing questions in cross-national web surveys; 2011; Behr, D., Braun, M., Kaczmirek, L., Bandilla, W.
- Left feels right! The optimal position of answer boxes in Web surveys; 2011; Galesic, M., Kaczmirek, L., Lenzner, T., Merkert, M.
- Quality of a probability-based online panel for the social sciences in Germany: first results.; 2011; Bandilla, W., Kaczmirek, L., Schaurer, I., Struminskaya, B.
- Category Selection Probing in Online Access Panels.; 2011; Behr, D., Kaczmirek, L., Braun, M., Bandilla, W.
- Asking Sensitive Questions: Do They Affect Participation In Follow-Up Surveys?; 2011; Schaurer, I., Struminskaya, B., Kaczmirek, L., Bandilla, W.
- Which Technologies Do Respondents Use in Online Surveys – An International Comparison?; 2011; Kaczmirek, L., Behr, D., Bandilla, W.
- Developing a Research Framework for Usability in Online Surveys: Human-Survey Interaction; 2010; Kaczmirek, L.
- Attention and Usability in Internet Surveys: Effects of Visual Feedback in Grid Questions; 2010; Kaczmirek, L.
- Security and Data Protection: Collection, Storage, Feedback in Internet Research; 2010; Thiele, O., Kaczmirek, L.
- Wie empfinden Teilnehmer die Fragen in Online-Befragungen? Entwicklung eines Diktionärs für die automatische...; 2010; Kaczmirek, L., Baier, C., Züll, C.
- Social and Behavioral Research and the Internet: Advances in Applied Methods and Research Strategies; 2010; Das, M., Ester, P., Kaczmirek, L.
- Cognitive burden of survey questions and response times: A psycholinguistic experiment; 2010; Lenzner, T., Kaczmirek, L., Lenzner, A.
- What are They Asking Me? A Web Survey Experiment on Question Clarity and Measurement Error; 2009; Faas, T., Kaczmirek, L., Lenzner, A.
- Respondent-Oriented Interaction Design Reduces Item Nonresponse in Internet Surveys; 2009; Kaczmirek, L.
- Is this e-mail relevant? An eyetracking experiment on how potential respondents read e-mail invitations...; 2009; Kaczmirek, L., Faaß, T., Galesic, M.
- What are They Asking Me? A Web Survey Experiment on Question Clarity and Measurement Error; 2009; Faas, T., Kaczmirek, L., Lenzner, A.
- Respondent-Oriented Interaction Design Reduces Item Nonresponse in Internet Surveys; 2009; Kaczmirek, L.
- Panel Discussion: Does Mixed Mode Help Us Increase Response Rates?; 2009; Kaczmirek, L.
- Respondents’ Evaluations of Questionnaires: A Single-Item Open-Ended Instrument for Quality Control...; 2009; Baier, C., Kaczmirek, L., Züll, C.
- A literature review on constructing answer formats; 2009; Menold, N., Kaczmirek, L., Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik, J.
- Social Research and the Internet: Advances in Applied Methods and New Research Strategies; 2009; Das, M., Ester, P., Kaczmirek, L.
- Coverage- und Nonresponse-Effekte bei Online-Bevölkerungsumfragen ; 2009; Bandilla, W., Kaczmirek, L., Blohm, M., Neubarth, W.
- Human-Survey Interaction: Usability and Nonresponse in Online Surveys; 2008; Kaczmirek, L.
- Psycholinguistic Determinants of Question Difficulty: A Web Experiment; 2008; Faaß, T., Kaczmirek, L.
- Internet Survey Software Tools; 2008; Kaczmirek, L.
- Increasing item completion rates in matrix questions ; 2008; Kaczmirek, L.
- Prenotification in Web-Based Access Panel Surveys: The Influence of Mobile Text Messaging Versus E-Mail...; 2008; Bosnjak, M., Neubarth, W., Couper, M. P., Bandilla, W., Kaczmirek, L.
- Nicht-reaktive datenerhebung: Teinahmeverhalten bei befragungen mit paradaten evaluieren. [Non reactive...; 2007; Kaczmirek, L., Neubarth, W.
- Response time measurement in the lab and on the Web: A comparison; 2007; Galesic, M., Reips, U. -D., Kaczmirek, L., Czienskowski, U., Liske, N., von Oertzen , T.
- Applications of the Document Object Model (DOM) in Web-Surveys; 2007; Neubarth, W., Kaczmirek, L.