Relevance & Research Question: The success story of the internet and the increasing distribution of mobile and tablet devices are elementary changing the world of data collection. At the beginning of online research it was heavily discussed about the validity of this research approach. Today we face the challenge to choose the correct technique for data collection: online surveys via mobile, tablet or computer? Or still with classical approaches as face-to-face or CATI interviews? This research will give us answers to the questions: when are respondents willing to disclose most reliable data? Which channels evoke the least rejecters and drop-out rates? And how long are respondents willing to give correct answers and what is the maximum amount of minutes respondents can be asked in each channel (online by computer, tablet or mobile, or interviewed by CATI or face-to-face)?
Methods & Data: In cooperation with the department of Sociology at the University of Vienna 200 face-to-face interviews are conducted within Austria. Quotas are set for age, sex, education and the usage of different devices in order to guarantee a representative sample and sufficient respondents using mobile devices like smartphones or tablets. Amongst others, respondents were asked in an approximately 20 min survey which kind of survey technique they prefer, they accept or reject, which type of question they prefer for each channel and how much time they are willing to spend to answer a questionnaire depending on the device.
Results: Fieldwork is still in progress and will be finished in December 2013. Final results will be available in January 2014 and include a multivariate analysis of the data in order to identify different user groups.
Added Value: Based on the findings of this research the setting of data collection can be adapted according to different groups of respondents (e.g. age, sex, education). This helps to reduce drop-out rates and rejecters. In addition to that, benefits and barriers for each setting can be evaluated. Using these results helps to improve the convenience and satisfaction for the respondents and therefore data quality.