Web-based Surveys

Patty Nordstrom

March 27, 2008

Types of Web-based Surveys Non-probability

Entertainment surveysSelf-selected surveysVolunteers from Internet users

These surveys are usually for voting on a particular questions or an instant poll, they are not generalized to the greater population

Probability-based

InterceptEvery nth visitor to a site

Respondents are from an e-mail request

Mixed-mode Pre-recruited panels

*As with all survey research, non-respondents are a problem

Presentation

Screen by screenOnly one question per page,

respondent must answer the questions before they can continue

Scrolling Respondent can see, if not the entire

questionnaire, more than one question.

Advantages

Cost Faster response rate Easier to send follow-ups Easily downloaded in to a

spreadsheet or data analysis program

Advantages

Questions can be easily randomized Complex skip patters Drop down boxes

Concerns

Browsers Computer expertise of the respondent Data Security Randomization Privacy issues E-mail invitations considered spam

Common Problems Encountered

Technical problems Usability problem Programming errors

Sources of Errors

Sampling Coverage Non-respondents

Design of Web Survey

One item per page Scrolling Simple is better Design should fit the purpose

General Principles

Pretest Include an introduction, include

consent if required If the survey is long, divide it into

sections Use open-ended questions sparingly

Principles of Design for Web Questionnaires (Dillman, Tortora, Bowker)

Welcome screen First question fully visible Conventional format similar to paper Limit line length Provide instructions for computer

actions

Principles of Design for Web Questionnaires (Dillman, Tortora, Bowker)

Welcome screen First question fully visible Conventional format similar to paper Limit line length Provide instructions for computer

actions

Principles of Design for Web Questionnaires (Dillman, Tortora, Bowker)

Instructions with individual questions, not at the beginning

Do not force answers unless necessary

Scrolling Progress bar Avoid questions structures that have

known measurement problems

What we do at the SRC

Work with PIs to collect data using web-based survey

Use Perseus software to create web-based survey

Considerations

Who is your audience? Is using web-based surveys

appropriate? Multi-modal Cost

Technical Support

Programmer/analysts on the staff Hardware to support data collection

Types of Surveys

OpenAnyone can answer access the survey

and answer the questions Closed

Unique IDs are assigned to individuals

Results

Data is collected in a table Provide the data in various formats to PI

Database (.mdb)SPSS (.sav)Tab separated (.tsv, .txt)Comma separated (.csv)Excel (.xls)

Conclusions

Web-based surveys are a tool to collect data

Sound principles must back up any type of data collection