Web Survey Bibliography
Title Achieving high response rates on web-based surveys of post-secondary students
Author Nichols, L.B., Ghadialy, R.
Year 2003
Access date 07.05.2004
Abstract For years, the Internet has intrigued survey researchers for its potential to overcome historic obstacles associated with self-administered (SAQ), paper-and-pencil (PAPI) surveys. Losing surveys in the mail and costly reliance on data entry programming, training, and staffing are two key hurdles that all SAQ, PAPI surveys encounter. The challenge, then, is to use this technology in a way that is scientifically rigorous and employs the best features of the Internet, namely the inherent democratic nature of the tool, improved sample monitoring capabilities, the relative ease of data transmission, minimal case costs, and improved data quality. The most daunting of all the challenges that Internet surveys face is achieving high response rates.
In 2002, NORC launched a web-based survey of over 9,000 minority students who received scholarships to attend the colleges or universities of their choice. This was the base year of a five-year longitudinal survey designed to measure the life outcomes of the scholarship recipients and a sample of scholarship non-recipients. The study will track the students over the next five years and gather information related to their college experiences, civic engagement and professional lives.
This paper will show that it is possible to launch a large-scale, web-based survey of post-secondary students that garners high response by using the Dillman Method. The paper will review NORC’s history of launching web surveys and provide information from other web surveys to contextualize NORC’s specific experience on the scholarship study. The paper will then go on to present response rates, respondent contact methods and special treatments used during data collection to boost response rates. Through this, we hope to sketch a framework for successfully implementing large-scale, web-based surveys and achieving high response rates with student populations.
In 2002, NORC launched a web-based survey of over 9,000 minority students who received scholarships to attend the colleges or universities of their choice. This was the base year of a five-year longitudinal survey designed to measure the life outcomes of the scholarship recipients and a sample of scholarship non-recipients. The study will track the students over the next five years and gather information related to their college experiences, civic engagement and professional lives.
This paper will show that it is possible to launch a large-scale, web-based survey of post-secondary students that garners high response by using the Dillman Method. The paper will review NORC’s history of launching web surveys and provide information from other web surveys to contextualize NORC’s specific experience on the scholarship study. The paper will then go on to present response rates, respondent contact methods and special treatments used during data collection to boost response rates. Through this, we hope to sketch a framework for successfully implementing large-scale, web-based surveys and achieving high response rates with student populations.
Access/Direct link
Homepage - conference (abstract)
Year of publication2004
Bibliographic typeConferences, workshops, tutorials, presentations
Web Survey Bibliography - The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) 58th Annual Conference, 2003 (45)
- Validations in Web-based Surveys; 2003; Crawford, S. D., Peytchev, A.
- Use and non-use of clarification features in web surveys; 2003; Tourangeau, R., Baker, R. P., Couper, M. P., Conrad, F. G.
- Web Experiment: Examining the Effect of Error Prompting on Item Nonresponse and Survey Nonresponse; 2003; Mooney, G., Rogers, B., Trunzo, D.
- Mode Effects in Web-enabled, Telephone and Face-to-Face Foreign Policy Surveys; 2003; Kull, S., Wolford, M. L.
- Differences in Mode of Questionnaire Administration: Self-Administered Web vs. CATI/CAPI; 2003; Carley-Baxter, L. R.
- The Effect of Data Collection Modality on Students’ Foreign Language Survey; 2003; Shieh, Y. Y.
- How web surveys differ from other kinds of user interfaces; 2003; Ehlen, P., Schober, M. F., Conrad, F. G.
- Differences in the Political Attitudes and Behavior of Cell and Land Line Telephone Users; 2003; Traugott, M. W., Joo, S. H.
- Surveys Using Cellular Telephones: A Feasibility Study; 2003; Steeh, C. G.
- Go With the Flow: Cognitive Testing of a Multi-mode, Multi-Agency Survey about Drinking Water; 2003; Wilson, B. F., Kamimoto, L. A., Whitaker, K. R., Williams, M., Dockins, C., Kim, H., Posnick, L. M.,...
- Asking Comparative Questions: A Comparison Of Three Wording Strategies; 2003; Liu, K.
- Comparing Propensity Score Weighting with Other Weighting Methods: A Case Study; 2003; Forsman, G., Varedian, M.
- It’s Only Incidental: Effects of Response Format in Determining Behavioral or Event Occurrence; 2003; Lafond, C.R., Smith, M. R., Behnke, C. S., Thomas, R. K.
- Evaluating Unit nonresponse Rates in Web Surveys - A Meta Study; 2003; Vehovar, V., Lozar Manfreda, K., Koren, G., Dolničar, V.
- Achieving high response rates on web-based surveys of post-secondary students; 2003; Nichols, L.B., Ghadialy, R.
- The Effects of Cash, Electronic, and Paper Gift Certificates as Respondent Incentives for a Web-Based...; 2003; Birnholtz, J. P., Horn, D. B., Finholt, T. A., Bae, S. J.
- Developing a Strategy for Sampling U.S. Mobile Phone Users Based on European Models; 2003; Buskirk, T. D., Callegaro, M.
- Comparing Internet “River,” Internet; 2003; Feld, K. G.
- A Comparison between Using the Web and Using the Telephone to Survey Political Opinions; 2003; Forsman, G., Isaksson, A.
- Design implementation of a Multimode Web Survey; 2003; Wine, S.J., Cominole, M.B., Carwile, D.S., Perry, K.
- Partnering with a Newspaper to Assess Community Opinion Online; 2003; Downs, E.P., Lindley, A.M.
- Implementing a Web Survey Administration System at the GAO; 2003; Feldesman, A.G.
- Cognitive Processes in Web Surveys; 2003; Fuchs, M.
- Using Internet-Based Surveys With Physicians, What Works and What Doesn't Work; 2003; Schneiderman, M., Thran, S., Adams, C., Lerner, B.
- Exploring Online Survey Metodologies: Who are the Respondents and How to Get them to respond; 2003; Wolter-Warmerdam, K., Gardinali, A.P., Wong, R.
- Using RGI (Respondent Generated Interval) to gather factual information in a web survey; 2003; Lusinchi, P.D.
- Methodological issues in Web data collection of ego-centered networks; 2003; Vehovar, V., Lozar Manfreda, K., Koren, G., Hlebec, V.
- Can What We Don’t Know (about “Don’t Know”) Hurt Us?: Effects of Item Non-response...; 2003; Krosnick, J. A., Behnke, C. S., Lafond, C.R., Thomas, R. K.
- How Does Ranking Rate?: A Comparison of Ranking and Rating Tasks.; 2003; Krosnick, J. A., Shaeffer, E. M., Thomas, R. K.
- Web vs. IVR: Mode Effects in Structured Interviews Utilizing Rating Scales; 2003; Callegaro, M., Bhola, D. S., Yang, Y.
- What They See Is What We Get: Response Options for Web Surveys; 2003; Tourangeau, R., Crawford, S. D., Conrad, F. G., Couper, M. P.
- Measuring Visual Political Knowledge; 2003; Prior, M.
- Collecting Eye Tracking Data to Test QUAID, A Web Facility that Helps Survey Methodologists Identify...; 2003; Graesser, A., Daniel, K. F., Cai, Z., Cooper, E., Whitten, S., Louwerse, M.
- Survey content foreknowledge and response rate; 2003; Ehrlich, N. J.
- Web Survey Design: Comparing Static and Interactive Survey Instruments; 2003; Nyiri, Z., Clark L.R.
- Comparing Web-Based Survey Methods with other Approaches: An examination of health knowledge, opinion...; 2003; Greiling, K.A., McCarrier, P.K., Stringer, M.C.
- The role of issue involvement in UK public attitudes to the single European currency; 2003; Roberts, E.C.
- Using an Instructional Web Site for Respondents to Improve Response Quality; 2003; Trussell, N., Lai, J. W., Shuttles, D. C.
- Partipation in Online Surveys: Results from a Series of Experiments; 2003; Kiniorski, A. K., Smith, M. R.
- Propensity score and calibration as bias reducing techniques in surveys based on Internet panels: application...; 2003; Johansson, C., Lorenc, B.
- When Respondents Know Too Much: Limitations of Web Surveys for Electoral Research; 2003; Callum, N., J., Sturgis, P.
- Measuring Customer Satisfaction with a Salient Event: An Experimental Design Analyzing the Impact of...; 2003; Schuldt, G. R., McDevitt, P. K.
- Effects of sponsor identity and perceived data security on response rates and data quality; 2003; Davis, B., Levin, K., O'Brien, J., Wang, A., Gordon, A., Shipp, S.
- Does Order Really Make a Difference? The Impact of Respondent and Question Characteristics on Response...; 2003; O'Neill, G.E.
- An Experiment with Respondent Burden in a Pop-Up Web Survey; 2003; David, P., Horner, L. R., Diedrichs, C., Rogers, S. M., Connell, T.