Web Survey Bibliography
Title R U There? Using Text Messaging as a method of contact in Wireless
Author Buskirk, T. D., Steeh, C. G.
Year 2004
Access date 10.05.2004
Abstract The number of mobile telephone users within the United States today exceeds 140 million. As the penetration of mobile telephone subscribers increases over the next decade in the United States, using mobile telephones as a mode of data collection for sample surveys that have traditionally used only fixed-land-line telephones will become essential. At the present time, contacting individuals through cellular telephones is a daunting challenge that requires numerous call attempts both to locate working numbers and to reach potential respondents. Even today, however, wireless phone technologies and services may provide more efficient avenues for contacting wireless subscribers other than simply calling them. The most promising of these is text messaging because it can make contact with cell phone users and deliver survey information as well. In this paper we describe an experiment that examines the effectiveness of using text messaging as the primary mechanism for contacting wireless phone subscribers. The proposed research grew from unsystematic attempts to use text messaging in a 2003 national survey using a wireless phone number sampling frame. The experiment to be reported here will compare response rates to a short survey across six conditions: three ways of contacting wireless subscribers for two major United States providers with well developed text message tracking systems but different cost structures. Specifically, the three methods for contacting subscribers include: sending a text-message, sending a message as an advance notice prior to calling and calling directly without sending any kind of message (the control condition). We will use two different providers to assess variation in response rates across provider and to capture some of the variation in text messaging penetration and cost in the United States wireless market. We also assess whether using text messaging to contact a sample of wireless subscribers increases the efficiency of the wireless phone as a mode of administration for surveys even under present conditions. The findings of this research along with continual improvements in wireless phone technology and services will better prepare us for the potentially changing landscape of telephone surveys.
Access/Direct link Homepage - conference (abstract)
Year of publication2004
Bibliographic typeConferences, workshops, tutorials, presentations
Web Survey Bibliography - Steeh, C. G. (13)
- Evaluation of Sample Designs for Telephone Surveys That Include Cell Phones; 2008; Steeh, C. G.
- Accommodating New Technologies: Mobile and VoIP Communication; 2008; Piekarski, L., Steeh, C. G.
- Using Text Messages in U.S. Mobile Phone Surveys ; 2007; Steeh, C. G., Buskirk, T. D., Callegaro, M.
- Fitting disposition codes to mobile phone surveys: experiences from studies in Finland, Slovenia and...; 2007; Callegaro, M., G., Buskirk, T. D., Vehovar, V., Kuusela, V., Piekarski, L. G.Steeh, C. G.
- Estimating the Working Number Rate for a Cellular Telephone Survey; 2005; Steeh, C. G., Hu, Z.
- Quality Assessed: Cellular Phone Surveys versus Traditional Telephone Surveys; 2005; Steeh, C. G.
- Is It the Young and the Restless Who Only Use Cellular Phones?; 2004; Steeh, C. G.
- A New Era for Telephone Surveys; 2004; Steeh, C. G.
- Text 2 U: Contacting wireless subscribers using text messaging and wireless web for mobile phone surveys...; 2004; Buskirk, T. D., Callegaro, M., Steeh, C. G.
- Calculating outcome rates for mobile phone surveys. A proposal of a modified AAPOR standard and its...; 2004; Callegaro, M., Buskirk, T. D., Piekarski, L., Kuusela, V., Vehovar, V., Steeh, C. G.
- DO NOT CALL: Alternatives for Contacting Wireless Subscribers for Mobile Phone Surveys; 2004; Buskirk, T. D., Callegaro, M., Steeh, C. G..
- R U There? Using Text Messaging as a method of contact in Wireless; 2004; Buskirk, T. D., Steeh, C. G.
- Surveys Using Cellular Telephones: A Feasibility Study; 2003; Steeh, C. G.