Web Survey Bibliography
Recent studies have indicated that members of Internet panel surveys now complete surveys on PCs, but also on subnotebooks, tablets or smartphones (Bosnjak et al 2013). This means that web surveys are displayed on very small and very large screens, and are completed with keyboard, mouse or touchscreen
The fact that Internet surveys can now be completed with so many different devices may have implications for measurement. There have been only a few studies studying the effects on measurement error between different devices. Most studies have concentrated on comparing mobile phones to desktop PCs and have found no clear differences between them with regards to measurement error. Because respondents always self-select into particular devices, it is very difficult to separate selection effects from measurement effects of the device however.
This paper aims to fill this gap by using longitudinal data from a large Dutch probability-based panel survey (LISS) to analyse over time 1) whether the same respondents use different devices to complete Internet surveys and 2) assess whether a device switch over time affects survey measurement error. To this end, we coded the User Agent Strings of 6 waves of data, and categorized respondents according to the devices used over time. We identified several groups of ‘stable’-device users (e.g. “always PC”) and ‘switchers’ (e.g. PC -> tablet -> tablet -> PC).
We study the measurement properties of each of the devices using a within-subjects design. We look at 1) the number of Don’t knows and item missing 2) interview duration 3) straightlining 4) the length of open answers 5) primacy effect in check-all-that-apply questions and 6) how the survey is evaluated at each wave
We conclude with a discussion of the effects our findings have for the design of web surveys.
GOR Homepage (abstract) / (presentation)
Web survey bibliography - Toepoel, V. (27)
- Using experts’ consensus (the Delphi method) to evaluate weighting techniques in web surveys not...; 2017; Toepoel, V.; Emerson, H.
- Data chunking for mobile web: effects on data quality; 2017; Lugtig, P. J.; Toepoel, V.
- Mobile-only web survey respondents; 2016; Lugtig, P. J.; Toepoel, V.; Amin, A.
- Online Surveys are Mixed-Device Surveys. Issues Associated with the Use of Different (Mobile) Devices...; 2016; Toepoel, V.; Lugtig, P. J.
- Doing Surveys Online ; 2016; Toepoel, V.
- The Effects of Adding a Mobile-Compatible Design to the American Life Panel; 2015; Toepoel, V.; Lugtig, P. J.; Amin, A.
- Higher Item Nonresponse Rates Caused by Slider Scales in Web Surveys; 2015; Toepoel, V.; Funke, F.
- Coding Surveys on their Item Characteristics: Reliability Diagnostics; 2015; Bais, F.; Schouten, B.; Toepoel, V.
- Investigating Response Quality in Mobile and Desktop Surveys: A Comparison of Radio Buttons, Visual...; 2014; Toepoel, V.; Funke, F.
- Informing panel members about study results; 2014; Scherpenzeel, A., Toepoel, V.
- Mixed-devices in a probability based panel survey. Effects on survey measurement error; 2014; Toepoel, V., Lugtig, P. J.
- Panel Conditioning in Difficult Attitudinal Questions; 2013; Binswanger, J., Schunk, D., Toepoel, V.
- Mobile devices a way to recruit hard-to-reach groups? Results from a pilot study comparing desk top...; 2013; Toepoel, V., Lugtig, P. J.
- Effects of Incentives in Surveys; 2012; Toepoel, V.
- Building Your Own Online Panel Via E-Mail and Other Digital Media; 2012; Toepoel, V.
- Recruiting A Probability Sample For An Online Panel: Effects Of Contact Mode, Incentives, And Information...; 2012; Scherpenzeel, A., Toepoel, V.
- How Visual Design Affects the Interpretability of Survey Questions; 2011; Toepoel, V., Dillman, D. A.
- Panel Recruitment via Facebook; 2011; Toepoel, V.
- Nonparametric Tests of Panel Conditioning and Attrition Bias in Panel Surveys; 2011; Das, M., Toepoel, V., van Soest, A.
- Response Quantity, Response Quality, and Costs of Building an Online Panel via Social Contacts.; 2011; Toepoel, V.
- Can Verbal Instructions Counteract Visual Context Effects in Web Surveys?; 2011; Toepoel, V., Couper, M. P.
- Words, Numbers and Visual Heuristics in Web Surveys: Is There a Hierarchy of Importance?; 2009; Toepoel, V., Dillman, D. A.
- Pictures in Web Surveys; 2009; Toepoel, V., Couper, M. P.
- Panel Conditioning in Web Surveys: A Comparison between Trained and Fresh Respondents; 2009; Toepoel, V., Das, M., van Soest, A.
- Visual Heuristics and Answer Formats in Rating Scales; 2009; Toepoel, V. Dillman, D. A.
- Design effects in web surveys: comparing trained and fresh respondents; 2008; Toepoel, V., Das, M., van Soest, A.
- Can I use a panel? Panel conditioning and attrition bias in panel surveys; 2007; Das, M., Toepoel, V., van Soest, A.