Web Survey Bibliography
Title The importance of ensuring anonymity in online research
Author Leidenfrost, B., Strassnig, B.
Year 2005
Access date 30.03.2005
Abstract The importance of ensuring anonymity in online research Opposite opinions about the warranty of privacy in the Internet and especially in online research are hitting each other. On the one hand people are feeling anonymously and sometimes changing their roles while surfing the Internet, on the other hand they are afraid of getting transparent by data transfer and the misuse of data. It is therefore important, particularly in online research that generally accepted quality standards are abided. The question of anonymity and the protection of personal data are the outstanding standards of interest for this survey. This analysis focuses on the subjective expectations towards anonymity in the Internet. The effects of detailed privacy information, changes in answering behaviour and assumptions what the researchers might do with personal data are collected. In an experimental study, depending on information on data privacy, expectations towards anonymity and the willingness to announce the email-address at the end of the study were asked. The knowledge about computers and the Internet was researched as an influencing factor. The sample (n=108) was invited to participate via email and was randomly assigned to one of two scenarios providing information on data privacy or not doing so. The two conditions were correlated with the willingness to announce an email-address. It was controlled if there was interest in getting an email with the results of the study. It was shown that the data privacy information lowered the willingness to announce an email-address. The user's knowledge had no effect on the expectations towards anonymity. It has to be discussed, if the information on data privacy has effects on directing attention to the problematic nature of anonymity in the Internet and if there are changes in behaviour for that reason. Concerning this it has to be annotated that people who have already participated in online surveys (where they were ensured of anonymity) had more reliance on the protection of their personal data than people who haven't yet. With reference to these results the use of data privacy information, its advantages and disadvantages and changes in the answering behaviour have to be re-discussed.
Abstract - optional Bedeutung der Zusicherung von Anonymität in Online-Untersuchungen Zur Frage der Bewahrung der Anonymität im Internet und vor allem bei Online-Untersuchungen treffen konträre Meinungen aufeinander. Einerseits fühlen sich Menschen im Internet anonym und schlüpfen manchmal in fremde Rollen, andererseits befürchten sie durch den Datentransfer im Internet "gläserner" zu werden, sowie eine Zweckentfremdung dieser Daten. Deshalb ist es gerade bei Online-Befragungen wichtig, bei denen die ForscherInnen nie als Personen in Erscheinung treten, dass diese allgemein anerkannte Qualitätsstandards einhalten. Als einem besonders wichtigen Punkt dieser Standards widmet sich diese Untersuchung der Frage der Anonymität und dem Schutz persönlicher Daten. Das Hauptaugenmerk der Studie liegt auf den subjektiven Erwartungen an die Anonymität im Internet. Die Auswirkungen eines detaillierten Datenschutzhinweises auf kognitive Prozesse, die daraus resultierenden Veränderungen im Antwortverhalten, sowie die Annahmen über mögliche Handlungen der ForscherInnen bezüglich persönlicher Daten werden zur Frage gestellt. In einer experimentellen Untersuchung wurden in Abhängigkeit eines Hinweises auf Datenschutz die Erwartungen an die Anonymität und die Bekanntgabe der Email-Adresse am Ende der Untersuchung erhoben. Weiters wurde der Wissensstand über Computer bzw. Internet als ein möglicher Einflussfaktor untersucht. Die Stichprobe (n=108) wurde per Email zur Teilnahme an der Untersuchung eingeladen und per Zufall den Bedingungen mit/ohne Datenschutzhinweis zugewiesen. Das Vorhandensein des Datenschutzhinweises wurde mit der Bereitschaft die Email-Adresse anzugeben korreliert. Kontrolliert wurde hierbei das "fehlende Interesse" an den Ergebnissen. Dabei zeigte sich, dass der Hinweis auf Datenschutz die Bereitschaft zur Bekanntgabe der Emailadresse senkt. Das erhobene Wissen beeinflusst die Erwartungen an die Anonymität nicht. Zu diskutieren ist, ob der Hinweis auf den Schutz der Daten eine Lenkung der Aufmerksamkeit auf die Problematik der Anonymität im Internet bewirkt und Verhaltensänderungen hervorruft. Hierzu ist anzumerken, dass jene Personen, die bereits an einer Online-Untersuchung mit Zusicherung von Anonymität teilgenommen haben, mehr auf den Schutz der persönlichen Daten vertrauen als Personen, die dies noch nicht haben. Der Einsatz eines expliziten Hinweises auf die Anonymität, seine Vor- und Nachteile, sowie Änderungen im Antwortverhalten müssen vor dem Hintergrund dieser Ergebnisse neu diskutiert werden.
Access/Direct link Homepage - conference - (abstract)
Year of publication2005
Bibliographic typeConferences, workshops, tutorials, presentations
Web survey bibliography - 2005 (76)
- The ethics of research using electronic mail discussion groups; 2005; Kralik, D., Warren, J., Koch, T., Pignone, G., Price, K.
- The Analyses of Domestic Study about Internet Survey; 2005; Rui, L., Tie-ying, S.
- Controlling the Baseline Speed of Respondents: An Empirical Evaluation of Data Treatment Methods of...; 2005; Mayerl, J.
- Determinanten der Rücklaufquote in Online-Panels; 2005; Batanic, B., Moser, K.
- On the cost-efficiency of probability sampling based mail surveys with a Web response option; 2005; Werner, P.
- Expert workshop on mixed mode data collection in comparative social surveys; 2005; Roberts, C.
- The Effect Of A Simultaneous Mixed-Mode (Mail And Web) Survey On Respondent Characteristics And Survey...; 2005; Brennan, M.
- The total survey error approach. A guide to the new science of survey research; 2005; Weisberg, H. F.
- The professional respondent problem in online panel surveys today; 2005; Fulgoni, G.
- Satisficing behavior in online panelists; 2005; Downes-Le Guin, T.
- Reading behavior in the digital environment: Changes in reading behavior over the past ten years; 2005; Liu, Z.
- Rating versus comparative trade-off measures. Trending changes in political issues across time and predictive...; 2005; Thomas, R. K., Behnke, S., Johnson, Al., Sanders, M.
- Publication bias: Recognizing the problem, understanding its origins and scope, and preventing harm; 2005; Dickersin, K.
- Panel proliferation and quality concerns; 2005; Faasse, J.
- Gricean effects in self-administered survey. Ph.D. Dissertation; 2005; Yan, T.
- Drop-down boxes, radio buttons, or fill-in-the-blank? Web survey scale-type effects; 2005
- Does weighting for nonresponse increase the variance of survey means?; 2005; Little, R. J., Vartivarian, S.
- Big scale observations gathered with the help of client side paradata; 2005; Haraldsen, G., Kleven, O., Sundvoll, A.
- User Interface Design and Evaluation ; 2005; Stone, D., Jarrett, C., Woodroffe, M., Minocha, S.
- Adding Value to Data Through Improved Access. The Case for Web Portals; 2005; Baker, R. P.
- Multi-Mode Research and Data Linkage. Theoretical and Practical Advice; 2005; Terhanian, G.
- Architectural Design of a Survey Questionnaire and Respondent Data Repository. Practical Considerations...; 2005; Cookson, P., Sobell, J.
- Developing and validating a nursing website evaluation questionnaire; 2005; Tsai, S. - L., Chai, S.-K.
- Workaround: Site’s surveys beat pop-up blockers, yield responses; 2005; Arnold, C.
- The Story of Subject Naught: A Cautionary but Optimistic Tale of Internet Survey Research; 2005; Konstan, J. A., Ross, M. W., Rosser, B. R. S., Stanton, J. M., Edwards, W. M.
- Standards in Online Surveys. Sources for Professional Codes of Conduct, Ethical Guidelines and Quality...; 2005; Kaczmirek, L., Schulze, N.
- Computer adaptive testing; 2005; Gershon, R. C.
- Ego control and ego-resiliency: Generalization of self-report scales based on personality descriptions...; 2005; Block, J., Funder, D. C., Letzring, T. D.
- The Web experiment list: A Web service for the recruitment of participants and archiving of Internet...; 2005; Reips, U. -D., Lengler, R.
- Survey of substance use among high school students in Taipei: Web-based questionnaire versus paper-and...; 2005; Wang, Y. C., Lee, C. M., Lew-Ting, C. Y., Hsiao, C. K., Chen, W. J.
- Web Surveys. A Brief Guide on Usability and Implementation Issues; 2005; Kaczmirek, L.
- An assessment of measurement invariance between online and mail surveys ; 2005; Deutskens, E., de Ruyter, K., Wetzels, M.
- E-mail versus Web survey response rates among health education professionals; 2005; Kittleson, M. J., Brown, S. L.
- Toward An Open-Source Methodology: What We Can Learn From The Blogosphere; 2005; M.
- Aux Abonnes Absents: Liste Rouge Et Telephone Portable Dans Les Enquetes En Population Generale Sur...; 2005; Beck, F., ., Peretti-Watel, P.
- Web Versus Paper Questionnares: A Design and Functionality - Comparison; 2005; Jones, Ja., Fraser, C., Dowling, Z.
- Web Surveys and the new Disability Discrimination Act; 2005; Macer, T.
- Mixed-mode Surveys Using Mail and Web Questionnaires; 2005; Meckel, M., Baugh, P., Walters, D.
- Sampling procedure, questionnaire design, online implementation; 2005; Jackob, N., Arens, J., Zerback, T., Jowell, R., de Rouvray, C.
- Simple Approaches to Estimating the Variance of the Propensity Score Weighted Estimator Applied on Volunteer...; 2005; Isaksson, A., Lee, S., de Rouvray, C.
- Simple Approaches to Estimating the Variance of the Propensity Score Weighted Estimator Applied on Volunteer...; 2005; Isaksson, A., Lee, S.
- Alternative Modes for Health Surveillance Surveys: An Experiment with Web, Mail, and Telephone; 2005; Link, M. W., Mokdad, A.
- An Experimental Comparison Of Web And Telephone Surveys; 2005; Fricker, S., Galesic, M., Tourangeau, R., Yan, T.
- Organizational Virtual Communities: Exploring Motivations Behind Online Panel Participation; 2005; Daugherty, T., Lee, W.-N., Gangadharbatla, H., Kim, K., Outhavong, S.
- Promoting Uniform Question Understanding in Today's and Tomorrow's Surveys; 2005; Conrad, F. G., Schober, M. F.
- Is a Web survey as effective as a mail survey? A field experiment among computer users; 2005; Kiernan, N. E., Kiernan, M., Oyler, M. A., Gilles, C.
- The effect of personalization on response rates and data quality in web surveys; 2005; Heerwegh, D., Vanhove, T., Matthijs, K., Loosveldt, G.
- When Methodology Interferes With Substance; 2005; Schoen, H., Faas, T.
- Web-based and Mailed Questionnaires: A Comparison of Response Rates and Compliance; 2005; Baelter, K., Balter, O., Fondell, E., Trolle-Lagerros, Y.
- Bleeding Edge or Proven Technology? The Fact and the Fiction of Mobile Survey Computing; 2005; Cameron, M. R.