Web Survey Bibliography
Relevance & Research Question:
We examine the question of whether a carefully recruited, probability-based online panel can be representative of the general population and is thus suitable for social and economic research.
Methods & Data:
The German Internet Panel (GIP) is a new large-scale online panel based on a probability sample of individuals living within households in Germany. In 2012 households were approached offline, with a short face-to-face interview. Subsequently, all household members were invited to complete the bi-monthly GIP questionnaires. To minimize non-coverage bias, households without access to the internet were provided with the necessary hardware and/or a broadband internet connection.
Recruitment into the GIP consisted of various stages: the face-to-face household interview, mailed invitations to the online survey, reminder letters, a phone follow-up, and final mailed reminders.
We analyze the processes leading to participation and associated biases in the sample. The various stages of recruitment into the GIP are assessed, as well as the composition of the online sample.
Results:
The results of the recruitment phases into the GIP show that with a decent amount of effort we were able to recruit both offline and online households into the online survey. The overall achieved response rates were clearly higher than rates for probability-based phone-recruited online panels in Germany.
Furthermore, GIP respondents show different characteristics compared to respondents in other online panels, particularly with regards to their internet affinity. For example, while we typically find 2.5% of panel participants cannot view question formats programmed with JavaScript, in the GIP panel we find that approx. 20% of the respondents do not have JavaScript enabled.
Added Value:
The probability-based face-to-face recruited online panel of the GIP is the first of its kind in Germany. Thus, our evaluation of the recruiting process and the resulting sample adds value to discussion of the suitability of online surveys as the data collection instrument of the future for social and economic research, where a high-quality sample is paramount.
GOR Homepage (abstract)
Web survey bibliography - Funke, F. (19)
- Higher Item Nonresponse Rates Caused by Slider Scales in Web Surveys; 2015; Toepoel, V.; Funke, F.
- Investigating Response Quality in Mobile and Desktop Surveys: A Comparison of Radio Buttons, Visual...; 2014; Toepoel, V.; Funke, F.
- The Use of Paradata to Predict Future Cooperation in a Panel Study; 2014; Funke, F., Goeritz, A.
- HTML5 and mobile Web surveys: A Web experiment on new input types; 2013; Funke, F.
- Break-off and attrition in the GIP amongst technologically experienced and inexperienced participants...; 2013; Blom, A. G., Bossert, D., Clark, V., Funke, F., Gebhard, F., Holthausen, A., Krieger, U., Wachenfeld...
- Nonresponse and Nonresponse Bias in a Probability-Based Internet Panel; 2013; Blom, A. G., Bossert, D., Funke, F., Gebhard, F., Holthausen, A., Krieger, U.
- Enhancing Web Surveys With New HTML5 Input Types; 2012; Funke, F.
- Mobile Survey Participation Rates in Commercial Market Research: A Meta-Analysis; 2012; Bosnjak, M., Poggio, T., Becker, K. R., Funke, F., Wachenfeld, A., Fischer, B.
- High potential for mobile Web surveys: Findings from a survey representative for German Internet users...; 2012; Funke, F., Wachenfeld, A.
- Why semantic differentials in Web-based research should be made from visual analogue scales and not...; 2012; Funke, F., Reips, U.-D.
- Web-based rating scales: HTML 5 and other innovations; 2011; Funke, F.
- Ignoring the compatibility of online questionnaires may bias the psychological composition of your sample...; 2011; Funke, F.
- Explaining more variance with visual analogue scales: A Web experiment; 2011; Funke, F.
- Internet-Based Measurement With Visual Analogue Scales: An Experimental Investigation; 2010; Funke, F.
- Making small effects observable: Reducing error by using visual analogue scales; 2009; Funke, F., Reips, U.-D.
- Yes, VASs can! Increasing the accuracy of survey measurements with computerized visual analogue scales...; 2009; Funke, F., Reips, U.-D.
- Response Formats in Cross-cultural Comparisons in Web-based Surveys; 2009; Thomas, R. K.l, Terhanian, G., Funke, F.
- Using Audio and Video Clips in Web Surveys — Feasibility and Impact on Data Quality; 2007; Fuchs, M., Funke, F.
- Dynamic Forms: Online Surveys 2.0 ; 2007; Funke, F., Reips, U.-D.