Web surveys are increasingly considered as cost-effective mode of data collection for large-scale social surveys. Existing face-to-face surveys introduce mixed-mode approaches including web, and a number of probability-based online panels have recently been established in the United States and Europe. In contrast to interviewer-administered surveys, however, survey researchers lose control over the environment in which respondents complete the survey. Web respondents can decide when and where to fill in the questionnaire, and might be exposed to various sources of distractions or might choose to get involved in other activities while filling in the questionnaire. In particular, respondents who use a mobile device might be in distracting environments, where other people are present. Distractions and multi-tasking are potential threats to data quality as respondents might not be able to fully concentrate on the survey task but might rely on cognitive shortcuts.
This paper reports on results from a laboratory experiment that is being conducted in November 2016 to examine how distractions during web survey completion influence data quality, and to identify if the environment of survey completion is a potential source of measurement error. 
Subjects (N = 276) are randomly assigned to experimental groups using a 3 (form of distraction) x 2 (device type) design and are asked to complete an online survey. The three forms of distraction are music versus conversation between other people in the room versus no distraction, and the two levels for device type are PC versus tablet. Distractions were chosen to represent two sources of distractions that are likely to occur in web survey settings.
I will examine the effects of distraction and device type on various data quality measures, including item-nonresponse, straight-lining, extreme response styles, response consistency, survey duration, and responses to an Instructional Manipulation Check.
This paper adds to research on how the environment in which respondents fill in questionnaires affects response quality in web surveys.