Web Survey Bibliography
Title Effects of personalization on web survey data response rates and data quality
Author Heerwegh, D., Loosveldt, G., Vanhove, T., Matthijs, T.
Year 2004
Access date 14.09.2004
Full text pdf (163k)
Abstract The effects of personalization of survey invitations on response rates have been extensively researched in the realm of mail surveys. Commonly, it is found that response rates increase when personalization is applied. Recently, efforts have been made to investigate whether these findings extend to the field of web surveys that use e-mail invitations. Using data from two separate web experiments conducted among first year university students, we show that personalization of e-mail invitations significantly increases the response rate by 8.6 and 7.8 percentage points, respectively. However, we also show that personalization influences the responses collected. Theorizing that personalization decreases the level of anonymity and perceived privacy, we expected to find differences in responses to sensitive questions. We do indeed find, in both experiments, that personalization tends to bias the responses. More specifically, in the personalization condition, respondents had a greater tendency to report that the socially desirable situation applies to them. Moreover, responses on debriefing questions show that respondents in the personalization condition feel less at ease to openly respond to (sensitive) survey questions. From both these studies, we conclude that personalization of e-mail invitations should be considered if possible, unless a survey on a sensitive topic will be conducted.
Access/Direct link Heerwegh, Dirk: homepage (full text)
Year of publication2004
Bibliographic typeConferences, workshops, tutorials, presentations
Web survey bibliography - Other (439)
- Answering Without Reading: IMCs and Strong Satisficing in Online Surveys; 2017; Anduiza, E.; Galais, C.
- Ideal and maximum length for a web survey; 2017; Revilla, M.; Ochoa, C.
- Web Survey Gamification - Increasing Data Quality in Web Surveys by Using Game Design Elements; 2017; Schacht, S.; Keusch, F.; Bergmann, N.; Morana, S.
- Effects of sampling procedure on data quality in a web survey; 2017; Rimac, I.; Ogresta, J.
- Comparability of web and telephone surveys for the measurement of subjective well-being; 2017; Sarracino, F.; Riillo, C. F. A.; Mikucka, M.
- Fieldwork monitoring and managing with time-related paradata; 2017; Vandenplas, C.
- Interviewer Gender and Survey Responses: The Effects of Humanizing Cues Variations; 2017; Jablonski, W.; Krzewinska, A.; Grzeszkiewicz-Radulska, K.
- Millennials and emojis in Spain and Mexico.; 2017; Bosch Jover, O.; Revilla, M.
- Nonresponses as context-sensitive response behaviour of participants in online-surveys and their relevance...; 2017; Wetzlehuetter, D.
- Humanizing Cues in Internet Surveys: Investigating Respondent Cognitive Processes; 2017; Jablonski, W.; Grzeszkiewicz-Radulska, K.; Krzewinska, A.
- Pushing to web in the ISSP; 2017; Jonsdottir, G. A.; Dofradottir, A. G.; Einarsson, H. B.
- Rates, Delays, and Completeness of General Practitioners’ Responses to a Postal Versus Web-Based...; 2017; Sebo, P.; Maisonneuve, H.; Cerutti, B.; Pascal Fournier, J.; Haller, D. M.
- Oversampling as a methodological strategy for the study of self-reported health among lesbian, gay and...; 2017; Anderssen, N.; Malterud, K.
- Utjecaj vizualne orientacije skale za odgovaranje i broja stranica web-upitnika na rezultate ispitivanja...; 2017; Malikovic, M.; Svegar, D.; Somodzi, S.
- How to Design a Web Survey Using Spring Boot With MYSQL: a Romanien Network Case Study; 2017; Bucea-Manea-Tonis, Ro.; Bucea-Manea-Tonis, Ra.
- Analyzing Survey Characteristics, Participation, and Evaluation Across 186 Surveys in an Online Opt-...; 2017; Revilla, M.
- Comparative analysis of a mobile device and paper as effective survey tools; 2017; Kim, K. J.; Bae, S.; Park, E.
- Enhancing survey participation: Facebook advertisements for recruitment in educational research; 2017; Forgasz, H.; Tan, H.; Leder, G.; McLeod, A.
- Virtual reality meets sensory research; 2017; Depoortere, L.
- PC, phone or tablet? Use, preference and completion rates for web surveys ; 2017; Brosnan, K.; Gruen, B.; Dolnicar, S.
- “Better do not touch” and other superstitions concerning melanoma: the cross-sectional web...; 2016; Gajda, M.; Kamiñska-Winciorek, G.; Wydmañski, J.; Tukiendorf, A.
- Making use of Internet interactivity to propose a dynamic presentation of web questionnaires; 2016; Revilla, M.; Ochoa, C.; Turbina, A.
- A streamlined approach to online linguistic surveys; 2016; Erlewine, M. Y.; Kotek, H.
- Du kommst hier nicht rein: Türsteherfragen identifizieren nachlässige Teilnehmer in Online-Umfragen; 2016; Merkle, B.; Kaczmirek, L.; Hellwig, O.
- Smartphones vs PCs: Does the Device Affect the Web Survey Experience and the Measurement Error for...; 2016; Toninelli, D.; Revilla, M.
- Estimation and Adjustment of Self-Selection Bias in Volunteer Panel Web Surveys ; 2016; Niu, Ch.
- Sensitive Questions in Online Surveys: An Experimental Evaluation of Different Implementations of the...; 2016; Hoglinger, M.; Jann, B.; Diekmann, A.
- Design and test of a web-survey for collecting observer’s ratings on dairy goats’ behavioural...; 2016; Vieira, A.; Oliveira, M. D.; Nunes, T.; Stilwell, G.
- Can Student Populations in Developing Countries Be Reached by Online Surveys? The Case of the National...; 2016; Langer, A., Meuleman, B., Oshodi, A.-G. T., Schroyens, M.
- Feature phones no barrier to conducting an effective conjoint study ; 2016; de Rooij, R.; Dossin, R.
- Patient preference: a comparison of electronic patient-completed questionnaires with paper among cancer...; 2016; Martin, P.; Brown, M.C.; Espin‐Garcia, O.; Cuffe, S.; Pringle, D.; Mahler, M.; Villeneuve, J.;...
- Does the Use of Smartphones to Participate in Web Surveys Affect the Survey Experience when Sensitive...; 2016; Toninelli, D.; Revilla, M.
- Device use in web surveys: The effect of differential incentives; 2016; Mavletova, A. M.; Couper, M. P.
- Device Effects - How different screen sizes affect answers in online surveys; 2016; Fisher, B.; Bernet, F.
- Do Initial Respondents Differ From Callback Respondents? Lessons From a Mobile CATI Survey; 2016; Vicente, P.; Marques, C.
- The use of online social networks as a promotional tool for self-administered internet surveys; 2016; de Rada, V. D.; Arino, L. V. C; Blasco, M. G
- Assessing the Effects and Effectiveness of Attention-check Questions in Web Surveys: Evidence From a...; 2016; Vannette, D.
- Mode Effects on Subjective Well-being Research: Do they Affect Regression Coefficients? ; 2016; Sanchez Tome, R.; Roberts, C.; Staehli, M. E.; Joye, D.
- Evaluating a Modular Design Approach to Collecting Survey Data Using Text Messages ; 2016; West, B. T.; Ghimire, D.; Axinn, W.
- Reaching the Mobile Generation: Reducing Web Survey Non-response through SMS Reminders ; 2016; Kanitkar, K. N.; Marlar, J.
- Safety First: Ensuring the Anonymity and Privacy of Iranian Panellists’ While Creating Iran&#...; 2016; Farmanesh, A.; Mohseni, E.
- Non-Observation Bias in an Address-Register-Based CATI/CAPI Mixed Mode Survey; 2016; Lipps, O.
- Web surveys for offline rural communities ; 2016; Gichohi, B. W.
- On-line life history calendar and sensitive topics: A pilot study; 2016; Morselli, D.; Berchtold, A.; Granell, J.-C. S.; Berchtold, And.
- An experiment comparing grids and item-by-item formats in web surveys completed through PCs and smartphones...; 2016; Revilla, M.; Toninelli, D.; Ochoa, C.
- Improving Inpatient Surveys: Web-Based Computer Adaptive Testing Accessed via Mobile Phone QR Codes; 2016; Chien, T. S.; Lin, W.S.
- Pre-Survey Text Messages (SMS) Improve Participation Rate in an Australian Mobile Telephone Survey:...; 2016; Dal Grande, E.; Chittleborough, C. R.; Campostrini, S.; Dollard, M.; Taylor, A. W.
- Short and Sweet? Length and Informative Content of Open-Ended Responses Using SMS as a Research Mode; 2016; Walsh, E.; Brinker, J. K.
- Mixing modes of data collection in Swiss social surveys: Methodological report of the LIVES-FORS mixed...; 2016; Roberts, C.; Joye, D.; Staehli, M. E.
- What is the gain in a probability-based online panel to provide Internet access to sampling units that...; 2016; Revilla, M.; Cornilleau, A.; Cousteaux, A-S.; Legleye, S; de Pedraza, P.