Web Survey Bibliography
Writing survey questions requires attention to the conceptual and operational definitions of survey concepts as well as to the technical issues that arise in composing items. These technical issues are examined in a body of research that considers how characteristics of questions (e.g., the number of categories to include in a rating scale) affect responses, their distributions and associations with other variables, and their validity and reliability. While the analysis of the properties of questions has led to the development of several ad hoc and formal systems for coding characteristics (e.g., Problem Classification Coding System (CCS) (Forsyth et al. 2004), Question Appraisal System (Willis 2005), and Question Understanding Aid (QUAID) (Graesser et al.), these systems vary considerably in the assumptions that underlie whichcharacteristics they identify as problematic, which characteristics are compared, and how dependencies among characteristics are taken into account when writing questions. Our paper has several goals. First we review and synthesize the literature on question characteristics and the systems for coding characteristics. Second, we analyze the administration of questions about physical and mental health from 350 digitally recorded and transcribed interviews with older adults in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Interviewer-respondent interaction has been coded in Sequence Viewer and we have also coded the questions’ characteristics using several different coding schemes. We identify interactional behaviors that have been associated with poorer data quality and use multi-level models to determine which coding systems are best at predicting problematic outcomes, including interviewers misreading questions and respondents expressing uncertainty and requesting clarification. Our analysis adds to the small but growing body of research concerning the effects of question characteristics on interaction and data quality. Our results have implications for designing questions and interviewing procedures with an emphasis on health surveys of older adults.
UWSC Homepage (presentation)
AAPOR Homepage (abstract)
Web survey bibliography - The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) 68th Annual Conference, 2013 (88)
- An Examination of the Relationship Between Pretest Method Results and Data Quality; 2013; Maitland, A.
- Associations Between Interactional Indicators of Problematic Questions and Systems for Coding Question...; 2013; Dykema, J., Schaeffer, N. C., Garbarski, D.
- Evaluation of a Sequential Mixed-Mode Design Experiment with Physicians on Response Rates, Costs, and...; 2013; Geisen, E., Olmsted, M. G., Murphy, J., Stanley, M.
- When We Do Not Know the Difference – the Level of DK in Different Question Formats and Different...; 2013; Schwarzer, S., Zeglovits, E., Connor, D. S.
- Factors Influencing Survey Participation Rates on an Online, Probability-Based Research Panel; 2013; Wiest, D.
- Effects of Self-Awareness on Disclosure During Skype Survey Interviews; 2013; Feuer, S., Schober, M. F.
- The Effect of Differential Mailing Methodologies on Response Rates: Testing Advanced Notices, Pre-Recorded...; 2013; Pens, Y., Cantave, M. A., Gentry, R. J.
- The Influence of Respondent Incentives on Item Nonresponse and Measurement Error in a Web Survey; 2013; Felderer, B., Kreuter, F., Winter, J.
- A Multi-Survey, Multi-Methodological Assessment of Perception of Need and Quality of Life: Opinion Polling...; 2013; Levy, D.,
- Eliminate Item Non-Response: The Effect of Forcing Respondents to Answer in Web Surveys; 2013; Leach, L. M.
- The Influence of Answer Box Format, Personal Topic Interest, and Respondent Characteristics on Response...; 2013; Keusch, F.
- Using Motivating Prompts to Increase Responses to Open-ended Questions in Mixed-mode Surveys: Where...; 2013; Israel, G. D.
- How Open Are We to the Open-Ended Questions?; 2013; Mamedova, S.
- Will Snowball Sampling Leave Your Data in the Cold?; 2013; Cavallaro, K.
- Panel Attrition: Separating Stayers, Sleepers and Other Types of Drop-Out in an Internet Panel; 2013; Lugtig, P. J.
- Building a History: Collecting Comprehensive Employment Data in a Web-Based, Multi-Mode Survey; 2013; Cominole, M., Bennett, C., Caves, L.
- Augmenting Paper Diaries With Phone and Web Data Retrieval: Is it Effective?; 2013; Wargelin, L., Minser, J., Homer, Z., Fleeman, A., ZuWallack, R. S.
- Alone in a Group: Comparison of Effects of a Group-Administered Paper-Pencil Survey Versus an Individually...; 2013; Higgins, W. B., Barlas, F. M., Pflieger, J., Thomas, R. K., Jeffery, D., Mattiko, M.
- The Effect of Survey Mode on Socially Undesirable Responses to Open Ended Questions: Online vs. Paper...; 2013; Hedberg, E., Ceasar, G., Wallace, D.
- Mode Effects in a National Establishment Survey; 2013; Daley, K., Phillips, B. T.
- Cognitive Interviewing in Online Modes: a Comparison of Data Collected in Second Life and Skype; 2013; Swicegood, J. E., Head, B., Dean, E., Keating, M.
- Mobile Browser Web Surveys: Testing Response Rates, Data Quality and Best Practices; 2013; McGeeney, K., Marlar, J.
- Comparing Tablet, Computer, and Smartphone Survey Administrations; 2013; Wells, T., Bailey, J., Link, M. W.
- Speeding and Non-Differentiation in Web Surveys: Evidence of Correlation and Strategies for Reduction...; 2013; Zhang, Che.
- Use of Drag-and-Drop Rating Scales in Web Surveys and Its Effect on Survey Reports and Data Quality; 2013; Kunz, T.
- Effects of Respondent Reluctance, Mode, and Technical Difficulties on Straight- Lining and Refusals...; 2013; Gibson, J. L., Mendelson, J.
- The Relations Among Different Cognitive Shortcuts in Surveys; 2013; Tourangeau, R., Medway, R., Presser, S.
- Differential Incentives in a Dual Mode Survey of Health Care Providers; 2013; Roff, B., Barrett, K.
- Effects of Displaying Videos on Measurement in a Web Survey; 2013; Mendelson, J., Gibson, J. L., Romano Bergstrom, J. C.
- The Effect of Attempting to Recruit Respondents to a Web-Based Diary on Overall Response Rate; 2013; Cantave, M. A. Gentry, R. J.
- Watch Your Language!: The Impact of the Survey Language on Bilingual Hispanics’ Response Process...; 2013; Ay, M., Gross, W., Cobb, C. L., Thomas, R. K.
- Estimation of Expected Academic Engagement Behaviors: The Use of Vague Quantifiers Versus Tallied Responses...; 2013; Cole, J.
- Self-Reported Participation in Research Practices Among Survey Methodology Researchers; 2013; Perez-Vergara, K., Smith, C., Lowenstein, C., Ozonoff, A., Martins, Y.
- Changing of the Guard: Effects of Different Self-Administered Survey Modes on Sensitive Questions; 2013; Barlas, F. M., Higgins, W. B., Pflieger, J., Thomas, R. K., Jeffery, D., Mattiko, M.
- Estimating Measurement Effects of Survey Modes From Between and Within Subject Designs; 2013; Klausch, L. T., Hox, J., Schouten, B.
- Web Versus Outbound: A Mode Face-Off Following the Presidential Debate; 2013; Marlar, J.
- Innovative Retention Methods in Panel Research: Can SmartPhones Improve Long-Term Panel Participation...; 2013; Dayton, J. J., Dyer, A.
- Predicting Survey Breakoff in Internet Survey Panels; 2013; Al Baghal, T., McCutcheon, A. L., Tsabutashvili, D.
- Using GIS to Target Address-Based Samples of Households for a Web (vs. Mail) Response: Evidence from...; 2013; Messer, B. L.
- Is Pushing the General Public to the Web in Address-Based Samples Cost Effective?; 2013; Lesser, V. M.
- Effects of Survey Sponsorship on Internet and Mail Response: Using Address- Based Sampling; 2013; Edwards, M. L.
- Grid Formats, Data Quality, and Mobile Device Use: A Questionnaire Design Approach; 2013; McClain, C., Crawford, S. D.
- Can Embedded Help Text Links in Web Survey Items Improve Data Quality?; 2013; Janson, N., Bennett, C., Caves, L., Cominole, M., Shepherd, B., Wine, J.
- Using the iPad as a Prize-Based Incentive to Boost Response Rates: A Case Study at Brigham Young University...; 2013; McClendon, R., Olsen, D.
- Can Google Consumer Surveys Help Pre-Test Alternative Versions of a Survey Question?: A Comparison of...; 2013; Stern, M. J., Welch, W. W.
- Online Panels: Recruitment Based on “Hot Topics” – What are the Consequences?; 2013; Andreasson, M., Martinsson, J.
- Social Network Analysis and Survey Response: How Facebook Data Can Supplement Survey Data; 2013; Sage, A.
- Surveywalls: A Breakthrough for Survey Customers or DIY Run Amok?; 2013; Wells, T., Dean, E., Rao, K., Murphy, J., Roe, D. J.
- Examining the Effects of Interventions to Obtain Participation via Less Expensive Modes: Results from...; 2013; Harris-Kojetin, L., Sengupta, M., Hobbs, M., Greene, A.
- Evaluating the Effect of a Non-Monetary Incentive in a Nationally Representative Mixed-Mode Establishment...; 2013; Sengupta, M., Harris-Kojetin, L., Hobbs, M., Greene, A.