Sampling Methods for Online Surveys

The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods, 2017

Even before the advent of the Internet, surveys were already a popular tool used by researchers to interview a sample of individuals to make statistical inferences about a population, yet it is frequently debated among communication science scholars whether or not they are a reliable tool for measurement (see entries on survey methodology and generalizability). As the Internet became more prevalent, the advantages of email and paperless surveys were immediately recognized as an opportunity to conduct cost-efficient and timely research. The technology has been quickly adopted, and in less than two decades it has come to dominate the field of research using survey methodology. Although there are several data collection modes in which surveys can be conducted, including snail mail, face-to-face, and over the telephone, in 2009, 85% of all online survey research conducted replaced traditional data collection means (Baker et al., 2010).

International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 2012

2003

Among all the existing survey modes, Internet surveys have attracted more and more attention from social science researchers. There are many advantages of Internet surveys. They provide much more efficiencies compared to traditional survey modes, such as the nearly complete elimination of paper, postage, mailout, and data entry costs, as well as the reduced time for survey implementation (e.g., Dillman, 2000). They also have the potential for dramatically reducing the close correspondence between sample size and survey costs (e.g., Dillman, 2000; Einhart, 2003). In addition, surveys via Internet make international studies easier than before (e.g., Coomber, 1997; Dillman, 2000). And they have greater appeal to certain target groups, and can get access to hard to reach populations on sensitive topics (e.g.

Proceedings of the 2006 WEPAN Conference, 2006

This paper provides an overview of the functionality of online assessment tools from a practitioner's standpoint. Basic services of these tools are described as well as a comparative review of several representative tools. We also provide the reader with a set of guidelines for making their own decisions about such tools as well as discuss the advantage s and disadvantages of these tools in helping to facilitate high-quality assessment.

Journal of Youth Development, 2006

Online surveys are increasingly viewed as a method to expand research and evaluation capacity. This article focuses on a case study utilizing online surveys for data collection conducted by researchers at the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Arizona. The National Youth Participation Study makes use of computer technology and the interest youth have in such technology. Online methods, survey design, techniques when surveying youth and lessons learned in developing the online study are shared by the authors.

and Web surveys have been the subject of much hyperbole about their capabilities as well as some criticism about their limitations. In this report we examine what is and is not known about the use of the Internet for surveying. Specifically, we consider evidence found in the literature regarding response rates, timeliness, data quality and cost. In light of this evidence, we evaluate popular claims that Internet-based surveys can be conducted faster, better, cheaper, and/or easier than surveys conducted via conventional modes. We find that the reality of cost and speed often does not live up to the hype. Nonetheless, it is possible to implement Internet-based surveys in ways that are effective and cost-efficient. We conclude that the Internet will continue to grow in importance for conducting certain types of research surveys.

As more types of media have entered peoples homes, surveys can be conducted in ever more ways. And now, as the internet is ever more ubiquitous, web-surveys are becoming an interesting option as well. Online surveys are generally considered cheaper, faster, and more convenient. Yet online surveys bring new problems as well, especially in terms of validity. The most important threats to the validity of both online and offline surveys are assessed in this paper.

Sample surveys are a valuable source of information about populations. The choice of data collection method depends upon the topic covered and the population observed, and the quality of data yielded may be affected by wide-ranging criteria, including sample representativeness, response rate, question comprehension and sincerity of responses. Survey methodology must therefore integrate constraints -which vary according to the data collection mode -while adapting constantly to make the most of available technology. Thirty years ago, postal surveys and face-to-face surveys conducted by an interviewer were joined by telephone surveys, whose advantages and disadvantages have been described in detail by Benoît Riandey and Jean-Marie Firdion in Population (1993, vol. 5). Since then, the growing problem of ex-directory numbers and the popularity of mobile phones have prompted the need for further adaptations. The increase in Internet access has led to the recent emergence of new survey methods, bringing in their wake new opportunities but also new dangers. Based on a review of the literature, Didier FRIPPIAT and Nicolas MARQUIS assess the strengths and weaknesses of this latest data collection mode.

2016

Interest in a multimode approach to surveys has grown substantially in recent years, in part due to increased costs of face-to-face (FtF) interviewing and the emergence of the Internet as a survey mode. Yet, there is little systematic evidence of the impact of a multimode approach on survey costs and errors. This article reports the results of an experiment designed to evaluate whether a mixed-mode approach to a large screening survey would produce comparable response rates at a lower cost than an FtF screening effort. The experiment was carried out in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), an ongoing panel study of Americans over age 50. In 2010, HRS conducted a household screening survey to recruit new sample members to supplement the existing sample. The experiment varied the sequence of modes with which the screening interview was delivered. One treatment offered mail first, followed by FtF interviewing; the other started with FtF and then mail. A control group was offered only ...

2005

This paper explores some of the issues surrounding the use of internet-based methodologies, in particular the extent to which data from an online survey can be matched to data from a face-to-face survey. Some hypotheses about what causes differences in data from online panel surveys and nationally representative face-to-face surveys are discussed. These include: interviewer effect and social desirability bias in face-to-face methodologies; the mode effects of online and face-to-face survey methodologies, including how response scales are used; and differences in the profile of online panellists -both demographic and attitudinal.