Web Survey Bibliography
Relevance & Research Question: Survey researchers have been forced—by time and budget constraints—to rely on a slew of sampling methods to estimate population parameters. To be valid, sampling procedures must a) have nearly 100% population coverage b) ensure equal chance of selection, and c) feature reasonable response rates. Convenience samples have long been considered inadequate for serious research but collecting opinions from probability samples now takes longer than conveniently interviewing millions of people.
Increasingly, RDD telephone sampling now features response rates below 20%. Moreover, the decrease in landline telephony and the corresponding rise in mobile have put pressure on the claim of near total coverage. Though all online interviewing relies on convenience sampling, it is arguable that people only answer their phones to take surveys (that are a part of RDD studies) when it is convenient for them—a group that continues to shrink.
Methods & Data: This paper investigates whether volume-based approaches to collecting opinions are reasonable substitutes for probability sampling. To do so, we exposed Gallup’s long-used, well documented, United States Presidential approval rating question to a random subset of people who recently completed a survey for one of SurveyMonkey’s seven million survey creators. We presented the question to roughly 10,000 survey takers per day from June 10, 2010 to July 29, 2010. In total, 87, 308 people answered the question.
Results: The results track Gallup’s daily approval numbers within the reported margin of error nearly each day that the test ran without mimicking Gallup’s use of statistical weighting. A closer look reveals that coverage and response rate were respectable relative to those of probability studies. Specifically, respondents were from 8,300 of 19,000 American cities (43%) which approaches the proportion of U.S. households with a landline telephone (60%). Moreover, the respondents yielded an average daily response rate of 46%--more than double that of a typical telephone survey.
Added Value: These findings shed light on recent interest by market researchers in gathering data from technology and social networking sources that have access to extremely large and diverse pools of people and can ask questions of them for virtually no cost.
Conference Homepage (abstract) / (presentation)
Web survey bibliography - 2011 (358)
- The Validity of Surveys: Online and Offline; 2016; Wiersma, W.
- Computer science security research and human subjects: Emerging considerations for research ethics boards...; 2013; Buchanan, E. A., Aycock, J., Dexter, S., Dittrich, D., Hvizdak, E. E.
- Multiple Sources of Nonobservation Error in Telephone Surveys: Coverage and Nonresponse; 2011; Peytchev, A.; Carley-Baxter, L. R.; Black, M. C.
- Online Questionnaires for Outbreak Investigations; 2011; Parry, A. E.; Johnson, D. R.; Byron-Gray, K.; Raupach, J. C. A.; McPherson, M.
- Inventory of published research: Response burden measurement and reduction in official business statistics...; 2011; Giesen, D. & Snijkers, G. (Eds.), Bavdaz, M., Bergstrom, Y., Gravem, D. F., Haraldsen, G., Hedlin, D...
- Effects of speeding on satisficing in Mixed-Mode Surveys; 2011; Bathelt, S., Bauknecht, J.
- Using Research-Based Practices to Increase Response Rates of Web-Based Surveys; 2011; Perkins, R. A.
- Using break-offs in web interviews for predicting web response in mixed mode surveys; 2011; Beukenhorst, D.
- Web panels in Slovenia; 2011; Lenar, J.
- Traditional and non-traditional treatments for autism spectrum disorder with seizures: an on-line survey...; 2011; Frye, R. E., Sreenivasula, S., Adams, J. B.
- Understanding the new digital divide—A typology of Internet users in Europe; 2011; Brandtzæg, P.B.; Heim, J.; Karahasanoviæ, A.
- Patients’ attitudes toward side effects of antidepressants: an Internet survey; 2011; Kikuchi, T., Uchida, H., Suzuki, T., Watanabe, K., Kashima, H.
- Web-based or paper-based surveys: a quandary?; 2011; Bennett, L., Sid Nair, C.
- Refining the Total Survey Error Perspective; 2011; Smith, T. W.
- ELIPSS: Étude Longitudinale par Internet Pour les Sciences Sociales; 2011; Legleye, S., Lesnard, L.
- Less questions, more data: Revitalizing the european currency in single source affluent audience measurement...; 2011; Hartman, H.
- Linking website exposure data to survey data: A single-source solution; 2011; Krahn, J., Landi, J., Melton, E.
- Inference in surveys with sequential mixed-mode data collection; 2011; Buelens, B., van der Brakel, J.
- Using a Probability-based Online Panel to Survey American Jews; 2011; Wright, G., Phillips, B. T., Tobias, J., Peugh, J., Semans, K.
- Choice of Content Presentation Mode in Web-Based Survey Administration; 2011; Osborn, L., Mansfield, W., Ramirez, C. M., Lacey, J. N., etc.
- Seasonal Yield Variation and Related Response Patterns in Address-based Mail Samples; 2011; DiSogra, C., Hendarwan, E.
- Gender-specific on-line shopping preferences; 2011; Ulbrich, F., Christensen, T., Stankus, L.
- Mixing modes in the LFS - Computer-assisted, cost effective and respondent friendly; 2011; Koerner, T., van der Valk, J.
- Peanuts and Monkeys: Incentivisation and engagement in online access panels; 2011; Marks, B.
- Establishing Cross-National Equivalence of Measures of Xenophobia: Evidence from Probing in Web Surveys...; 2011; Braun, M., Behr, D., Kaczmirek, L.
- Methodological challenges in the use of the Internet for scientific research: Ten solutions and recommendations...; 2011; Reips, U.-D., Buchanan, T., Krantz, J. H., McGrawn, K.Reips, U.-D.
- Search and email still top the list of most popular online activities; 2011; Purcell, K.
- Using Internet in Stated Preference Surveys: A Review and Comparison of Survey Modes; 2011; Lindhjem, H., Navrud, S.
- On the experience and evidence about mixing modes of data collection in large-scale surveys where the...; 2011; Dex, S., Gumy, J.
- Survey Gamification: Old Wine in New Bottles?; 2011; Baker, R. P.
- The Game Experiments: Researching how gaming techniques can be used to improve the quality of feedback...; 2011; Sleep, D., Puleston, J.
- Statistical Estimation of Word Acquisition With Application to Readability Prediction; 2011; Kidwell, P., Lebanon, G., Collins-Thompson, K.
- What is Probit; 2011
- Voice-of-the-customer marketing: A revolutionary 5-step process to create customers who care, spend,...; 2011; Roman, E.
- User agent; 2011
- Unpublisihed internal Google report on break off rates by device type; 2011; Callegaro, M.
- Toward wiser public judgment; 2011; Yankelovich, D., Friedman, W.
- The impact of cookie deletion on site-server and ad-server metrics in Australia. An empirical comScore...; 2011
- The changing role of address-based sampling in survey research; 2011; Iannacchione, V. G.
- State of mobile measurement; 2011; Gluck, M.
- Some issues in the application of latent class models for questionnaire design; 2011; Biemer, P. P., Berzofsky, M.
- Self-administered mobile surveys; 2011; Bosnjak, M.
- SDSC Announces scalable, high-performance data storage cloud; 2011
- Ratings and audience measurement; 2011; Napoli, P. M.
- Randomized response models in survey sampling. Randomized response models; 2011; Hussain, Z.
- Online survey research: Findings, best practices, and future research. Report prepared for the Advertising...; 2011; Vannette, D.
- Online survey research: Findings, Best practices, and future research; 2011
- New Esomar survey on use of cookies and tracking technologies; 2011
- Mobile, webmail, desktops: Where are we viewing email now?; 2011
- Measuring americans' issue priorities. A new version of the most important problem question reveals...; 2011; Yeager, D. S., Larson, S. B., Krosnick, J. A., Tompson, T.