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Respondent burden is considered a decisive factor affecting response quality in web surveys. To investigate the objective and perceived burden on web survey respondents and its effects on response quality, we conducted a web survey among members of a German online access panel using a questionnaire with a completely randomized question order and measures of perceived burden at four time points. We found that perceived burden increased only slightly during the survey, suggesting that objective burden―as measured by the position of a question in the questionnaire―has a modest impact on the level of perceived burden. Although the position of a question in the questionnaire also had little effect on response quality, higher perceived burden consistently resulted in lower response quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducted an in-depth analysis of responses generated by ChatGPT, a popular language model-based chat application, in the context of mental health conversations. The analysis encompassed three key dimensions: word count, sentiment analysis, and response quality. ChatGPT consistently outperformed the dataset, delivering longer responses with an average word count of 352, compared to the dataset's 70. This raises questions about the depth of information conveyed. ChatGPT responses demonstrated an average sentiment score of 0.53, surpassing the dataset's average of 0.23. This heightened sentiment in ChatGPT responses, coupled with their more extensive word count, suggests a potential for enhanced emotional engagement and nuanced communication, particularly crucial in mental health support scenarios. Finally, ChatGPT responses exhibited a more substantial incorporation of relevant information, showcased a higher degree of empathy toward user queries, and elevated sentiment scores, positioning it as a potentially effective mental health assistant. These findings offer valuable insights into the potential role of ChatGPT as a mental health assistant. However, it is imperative to emphasize the need for further research employing larger and more diverse datasets to comprehensively assess its practical applicability. Additionally, ethical considerations surrounding chatbots in mental health support warrant careful examination in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research reveals that the visual design of open-ended questions should match the response task so that respondents can infer the expected response format. Based on a web survey including specific probes in a list-style open-ended question format, we experimentally tested the effects of varying numbers of answer boxes on several indicators of response quality. Our results showed that using multiple small answer boxes instead of one large box had a positive impact on the number and variety of themes mentioned, as well as on the conciseness of responses to specific probes. We found no effect on the relevance of themes and the risk of item non-response. Based on our findings, we recommend using multiple small answer boxes instead of one large box to convey the expected response format and improve response quality in specific probes. This study makes a valuable contribution to the field of web probing, extends the concept of response quality in list-style open-ended questions, and provides a deeper understanding of how visual design features affect cognitive response processes in web surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the influence of Internet memes, specifically image macros of animals with motivational captions, on survey respondents' engagement with the survey-taking experience and subsequent data quality. A web-based field experiment was conducted with online survey respondents from two sample sources, one crowdsourced, and one commercially managed online panel. Half of the respondents from each sample source were randomly selected to see the memes at various points throughout the survey; the other half did not. Direct and indirect measures of survey engagement and response quality were used to assess effectiveness of the memes. Quantitative results were inconclusive, with few significant differences found in measures of engagement and data quality between respondents in the meme or control condition in either sample source. However, qualitative open-ended comments from respondents who saw the memes in both sample groups revealed that memes provide respondents a fun break and relief from the cognitive burdens of answering online survey questions. In conclusion, memes represent a relatively inexpensive and easy way for survey researchers to connect with respondents and show appreciation for their time and effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grid question refers to a table layout for a series of survey question items (i.e., sub-questions) with the same introduction and identical response categories. Because of their complexity, concerns have already been raised about grids in web surveys on PCs, and these concerns have heightened regarding mobile devices. Some studies suggest decomposing grids into item-by-item layouts, while others argue that this is unnecessary. To address this challenge, this paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of the grid layout and four item-by-item alternatives, using 10 response quality indicators and 20 survey estimates. Results from the experimental web survey (n = 4644) suggest that item-by-item layouts (unfolding or scrolling) should be used instead of grids, not only on mobile devices but also on PCs. While the former justifies the already increasing use of item-by-item layouts on mobile devices in survey practice, the latter implies that the prevailing routine of using grids on PCs should be reconsidered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased use of smartphones in web survey responding did not only raise new research questions but also fostered new ways to research survey completion behavior. Smartphones have many built-in sensors, such as accelerometers that measure acceleration (i.e., the rate of change of velocity of an object over time). Sensor data establish new research opportunities by providing information about physical completion conditions that, for instance, can affect response quality. In this study, we explore three research questions: (1) To what extent do respondents accept to comply with motion instructions? (2) What variables affect the acceleration of smartphones? (3) Do different motion levels affect response quality? We conducted a smartphone web survey experiment using the Netquest opt-in panel in Spain and asked respondents to stand at a fix point or walk around while answering five single questions. The results reveal high compliance with motion instructions, with compliance being higher in the standing than in the walking condition. We also discovered that several variables, such as the presence of third parties, increase the acceleration of smartphones. However, the quality of responses to the five single questions did not differ significantly between the motion conditions, a finding that is in line with previous research. Our findings provide new insights into how compliance changes with motion tasks and suggest that the collection of acceleration data is a feasible and fruitful way to explore survey completion behavior. The findings also indicate that refined research on the connection between motion levels and response quality is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satisficing response behavior can be a threat to the quality of survey responses. Past research has provided broad empirical evidence on the existence of satisficing and its consequences on data quality, however, relatively little is known about the extent of satisficing over the course of a panel study and its impact on response quality in later waves. Drawing on panel conditioning research, we use question design experiments to investigate whether learning effects across waves of a panel study cause changes in the extent of satisficing and if so, whether general survey experience (process learning) or familiarity with specific question content (content learning) accounts for those changes. We use data from a longitudinal survey experiment comprising six panel waves administered within a German non-probability online access panel. To investigate the underlying mechanism of possible learning effects, the experimental study randomly assigned respondents to different frequencies of receiving identical question content over the six panel waves. Our results show the existence of satisficing in every panel wave, which is in its magnitude similar to the extent of satisficing in the probability-based GESIS Panel that we use as a benchmark study. However, we did not find changes in the extent of satisficing across panel waves, nor did we find moderation effects of the interval between the waves, respondents’ cognitive ability, or motivation. Additional validity analyses showed that satisficing does not only affect the distribution of individual estimates by 15 percent or more but also can have an effect on associations between variables.

Recent years have seen a growing number of studies investigating the accuracy of nonprobability online panels; however, response quality in nonprobability online panels has not yet received much attention. To fill this gap, we investigate response quality in a comprehensive study of seven nonprobability online panels and three probability-based online panels with identical fieldwork periods and questionnaires in Germany. Three response quality indicators typically associated with survey satisficing are assessed: straight-lining in grid questions, item nonresponse, and midpoint selection in visual design experiments. Our results show that there is significantly more straight-lining in the nonprobability online panels than in the probability-based online panels. However, contrary to our expectations, there is no generalizable difference between nonprobability online panels and probability-based online panels with respect to item nonresponse. Finally, neither respondents in nonprobability online panels nor respondents in probability-based online panels are significantly affected by the visual design of the midpoint of the answer scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In web questionnaires which are created in paging design where each question is on a separate page, a progress indicator is an element that should inform the respondent about their current position within the questionnaire. Linear progress indicators are commonly used, and sometimes fast-to-slow progress indicators are used for research purposes. In this paper, we programmed an individually adapted progress indicator which monitors respondents' answers, validates them in real time and gives the respondent an additional motivational impulse (in the form of acceleration) only if necessary. We were interested to see how such a progress indicator affects the response quality and dropout rate of respondents in comparison with linear and fast-to-slow progress indicators. According to the results of this study it appears that individually adapted progress indicators increases a participant's commitment to finish the survey, increases the time devoted to responding and the number of answers given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As ever more surveys are conducted, recruited respondents are more likely to already have previous survey experience. Furthermore, it has become more difficult to convince individuals to participate in surveys, and thus, incentives are increasingly used. Both previous survey experience and participation in surveys due to incentives have been discussed in terms of their links with response quality. This study aims to assess whether previous web survey experience and survey participation due to incentives are linked with three indicators of response quality: item non‐response, primacy effect and non‐differentiation. Analysing data of the probability‐based CROss‐National Online Survey panel covering Estonia, Slovenia and Great Britain, we found that previous web survey experience is not associated with item non‐response and the occurrence of a primacy effect but is associated with non‐differentiation. Participating due to the incentive is not associated with any of the three response quality indicators assessed. Hence, overall, we find little evidence that response quality is linked with either previous web survey experience or participating due to the incentive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Many respondents are unwilling to use a smartphone to answer a web survey. • A selection bias could lead to overestimating the network size on smartphones. • Smartphone usage did not have a negative effect on the network size. • Smartphones can effectively be used for network research in tech-savvy populations. • An open question can be used to identify respondents who show satisficing behavior. The increasing use of smartphones around the world provides new opportunities for network data collection using smartphone surveys. We investigated experimentally whether the use of smartphones and of a recall aid affects the number of reported names in a network name generator question. In a German online access panel (N = 3891), respondents were randomly assigned to answer the survey on their PC or on their smartphone and were randomly assigned to receive an open-ended recall aid question before the name generator question or after. Results showed that respondents on PCs and smartphones reported the same number of network contacts. This suggests that smartphone surveys have no negative effect on the network sizes in ego-centered network studies. However, requiring people to answer on smartphones resulted in a selection bias due to non-compliance, which may have led to an overrepresentation of persons with larger network sizes. The recall aid question did not lead to more reported names, but it proved to be an indicator of respondents' motivation and response quality. In sum, the study suggests that smartphones can effectively be used for network research in tech-savvy populations or when respondents can choose to complete the survey on another device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Perimetry is a both demanding and strenuous examination method that is often accompanied by signs of fatigue, leading to false responses and thus incorrect results. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the response quality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the response time (RT) and its variability (RTV) as quality indicators during static automated perimetry. Methods: Size III Goldmann stimuli (25.7′) were shown with the OCTOPUS 900 perimeter in four visual field locations with 13 different stimulus luminance levels (0.04–160 cd/m2). An increased rate of false-positive and false-negative catch trials (25% each) served to monitor the response quality simultaneously together with response time recording. Data evaluation was divided into global and individual analysis. For global analysis, the agreement indices (AI, agreement between time periods with an increased number of false responses to catch trials and time periods with pathological response to time-based values set into relation to time periods in which only one of the two criteria was considered pathological) and for individual analysis, the Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated. Ophthalmologically normal subjects with a visual acuity ≥ 0.8, and a maximum spherical/cylindrical ametropia of ± 8.00/2.50 dpt were included. Results: Forty-eight subjects (18 males, 30 females, age 22–78 years) were examined. The total number of false responses to catch trials was (median/maximum): 6/82. RT and RTV were compared to the occurrence of incorrect responses to catch trials. The resulting individual Spearman correlation coefficients (median/maximum) were for RT: ρRT = 0.05/0.35 and for RTV: ρRTV = 0.27/0.61. The global analysis of the RTV showed agreement indices (median/maximum) of AIRTV = 0.14/0.47. Conclusions: According to this study, an increased portion of catch trials is suitable as a verification tool for possible response quality indicators. The RTV is a promising parameter for indicating the response quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methodological studies usually gauge response quality in narrative open-ended questions with the proportion of nonresponse, response length, response time, and number of themes mentioned by respondents. However, not all of these indicators may be comparable and appropriate for evaluating open-ended questions in a cross-national context. This study assesses the cross-national appropriateness of these indicators and their potential bias. For the analysis, we use data from two web surveys conducted in May 2014 with 2,685 respondents and in June 2014 with 2,689 respondents and compare responses from Germany, Great Britain, the United States, Mexico, and Spain. We assess open-ended responses for a variety of topics (e.g., national identity, gender attitudes, and citizenship) with these indicators and evaluate whether they arrive at similar or contradictory conclusions about response quality. We find that all indicators are potentially biased in a cross-national context due to linguistic and cultural reasons and that the bias differs in prevalence across topics. Therefore, we recommend using multiple indicators as well as items covering a range of topics when evaluating response quality in open-ended questions across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online surveys have the advantages of affordability and speedy collection; however, there have been some concerns about their response quality. Previous studies have measured response quality using nonresponse rate and biased choice behavior. However, it is difficult to detect defective respondents who are randomly selected without careful consideration by using those indicators. Therefore, this study measured the accuracy rate as an index of response quality using a questionnaire with questions for which possible answers were provided. Questionnaire length was found to have a negative effect on response rate but no significant effect on the accuracy rate. In addition, considering the response device, surveys from smartphone users have a lower accuracy rate than surveys from personal computer users. Lastly, respondents who have a response rate faster than 10 seconds per question have a lower accuracy rate. It is important to understand the factors that affect response quality and to design surveys accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using mobile devices to complete web-based surveys is an inescapable trend. Given the growth of this medium, some researchers are concerned about whether mobile devices are a viable channel for administering self-report online surveys. Taking two online surveys respectively using the US and China samples, this study compared the responses quality between participants responding via mobile devices and via PCs. Results from both the US and China samples revealed that although mobile respondents took longer to complete surveys than PC respondents, response quality did not differ significantly between these groups. Several behaviour patterns among mobile respondents were also identified in both samples. These findings provide practical implications to optimize web-based surveys for mobile users in tourism and hospitality research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When monitoring industrial processes, a Statistical Process Control tool, such as a multivariate Hotelling T2 chart is frequently used to evaluate multiple quality characteristics. However, research into the use of T2 charts for survey fieldwork–essentially a production process in which data sets collected by means of interviews are produced–has been scant to date. In this study, using data from the eighth round of the European Social Survey in Belgium, we present a procedure for simultaneously monitoring six response quality indicators and identifying outliers: interviews with anomalous results. The procedure integrates Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) with a T2 chart, so that historical "in-control" data or reference to the assumption of a parametric distribution of the indicators is not required. In total, 75 outliers (4.25%) are iteratively removed, resulting in an in-control data set containing 1,691 interviews. The outliers are mainly characterized by having longer sequences of identical answers, a greater number of extreme answers, and against expectation, a lower item nonresponse rate. The procedure is validated by means of ten-fold cross-validation and comparison with the minimum covariance determinant algorithm as the criterion. By providing a method of obtaining in-control data, the present findings go some way toward a way to monitor response quality, identify problems, and provide rapid feedbacks during survey fieldwork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web survey respondents are frequently distracted during survey completion, which potentially affects the quality of data they provide. This article reports on results from a laboratory experiment examining how distractions during web survey completion influence data quality. Participants were randomly assigned to experimental groups using a 2 (device type) × 3 (form of distraction) between-subject factorial design. They were asked to complete a web questionnaire on either a PC or a tablet and were allocated to one of the three distraction conditions: (1) the presence of other people in the room who have a loud conversation, (2) the presence of music, or (3) no distraction. The study examines the effect of distraction on various measures of data quality and attentiveness. While participants felt significantly more distracted in the presence of other people or music, the study found no significant effect of distraction for any of the data quality and attentiveness measures. The findings are encouraging for survey practitioners: Even if web respondents listen to music or are in noisy environments, these forms of distraction generally do not seem to affect the quality of responses they provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Española de Sociología is the property of Federacion Espanola de Sociologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Response times (RTs) to ecological momentary assessment (EMA) items often decrease after repeated EMA administration, but whether this is accompanied by lower response quality requires investigation. We examined the relationship between EMA item RTs and EMA response quality. In one data set, declining response quality was operationalized as decreasing correspondence over time between subjective and objective measures of blood glucose taken at the same time. In a second EMA study data set, declining response quality was operationalized as decreasing correspondence between subjective ratings of memory test performance and objective memory test scores. We assumed that measurement error in the objective measures did not increase across time, meaning that decreasing correspondence across days within a person could be attributed to lower response quality. RTs to EMA items decreased across study days, while no decrements in the mean response quality were observed. Decreasing EMA item RTs across study days did not appear problematic overall., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: AS is a senior scientist with the Gallup Organization and a consultant for HRA Pharma. RCM is a co-founder of KeyWise AI, Inc. and NeuroUX Inc. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Survey researchers often assume that "professional" respondents, those who complete a large number of surveys in opt-in online panels, are more likely than others to provide low-quality responses because their primary motivation is to earn rewards with minimal effort. However, there is little empirical evidence for this assumption. It could also be that professional respondents are willing to expend effort in order to be compensated. We investigated this issue using data from four independent surveys of opt-in panelists with about 2,400 respondents in each survey. We classified panelists into three groups—"professional", "average," and "novice"—according to the number of surveys they had previously completed and the number of panels they belonged to. We then compared the groups with respect to their demographic characteristics, reasons for joining a panel, and response behaviors. Professional respondents were the oldest group and, as expected, the most likely to report "for money" as the main reason for joining a panel. However, novices were actually the most likely to provide low-quality responses. Professional respondents appear to take the task of completing surveys more seriously than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certain participants are insincere when responding to questionnaires. Two current approaches for detecting unmotivated or dishonest respondents, the instructional manipulation check (IMC), and the seriousness check, were examined. We also attempted to improve the quality of survey responses by asking respondents to take an oath that they would be serious before they started answering the questionnaire (TO). The respondents in two Web surveys were randomly assigned to one of four versions of the questionnaire. The main results indicated that (a) response quality tended to improve when respondents who did not follow instructions were excluded from the sample; and (b) respondents that who took an oath to answer seriously chose fewer “don’t know” options, straight line responses, and midpoint responses than the control group, suggesting that respondents behaved consistently with their initial commitment. The results indicate that although IMC is superior for improving data quality, techniques for deterring less serious responses including TO were desirable in that they did not reduce the sample size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participation in web surveys via smartphones increased continuously in recent years. The reasons for this increase are a growing proportion of smartphone owners and an increase in mobile Internet access. However, research has shown that smartphone respondents are frequently distracted and/or multitasking, which might affect completion and response behavior in a negative way. We propose 'SurveyMotion (SMotion)', a JavaScript-based tool for mobile devices that can gather information about respondents' motions during web survey completion by using sensor data. Specifically, we collect data about the total acceleration (TA) of smartphones. We conducted a lab experiment and varied the form of survey completion (e.g. standing or walking). Furthermore, we employed questions with different response formats (e.g. radio buttons and sliders) and measured response times. The results reveal that SMotion detects higher TAs of smartphones for respondents with comparatively higher motion levels. In addition, respondents' motion level affects response times and the quality of responses given. The SMotion tool promotes the exploration of how respondents complete mobile web surveys and could be employed to understand how future mobile web surveys are completed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online surveys have become a popular method for data gathering for many reasons, including low costs and the ability to collect data rapidly. However, online data collection is often conducted without adequate attention to implementation details. One example is the frequent use of the forced answering option, which forces the respondent to answer each question in order to proceed through the questionnaire. The avoidance of missing data is often the idea behind the use of the forced answering option. However, we suggest that the costs of a reactance effect in terms of quality reduction and unit nonresponse may be high because respondents typically have plausible reasons for not answering questions. The objective of the study reported in this paper was to test the influence of forced answering on dropout rates and data quality. The results show that requiring participants answer every question increases dropout rates and decreases quality of answers. Our findings suggest that the desire for a complete data set has to be balanced against the consequences of reduced data quality.

Research into cognitive aspects of survey response has indicated unfamiliar terms as one of the psycholinguistic determinants of question comprehensibility problems. In this paper the estimates of wording familiarity based on text corpora for the English and Slovenian languages were used to detect potentially incomprehensible wordings in two web survey questionnaires for international exchange students at the University of Ljubljana, one for incoming (English) and the other for outgoing students (Slovenian). Two versions of the questionnaire were developed for each language, one with low-frequency (complex) and the other with high-frequency (improved) wordings, and compared in a split-ballot experiment. The results show a lower drop-out rate and a decreased subjective perception of difficulty for the improved language versions.

Design principles for survey questionnaires viewed on desktop and laptop computers are increasingly being seen as inadequate for the design of questionnaires viewed on smartphones. Insights gained from empirical research can help those conducting mobile surveys to improve their questionnaires. This article reports on a systematic literature review of research presented or published between 2007 and 2016 that evaluated the effect of smartphone questionnaire design features on indicators of response quality. The evidence suggests that survey designers should make efforts to “optimize” their questionnaires to make them easier to complete on smartphones, fit question content to the width of smartphone screens to prevent horizontal scrolling, and choose simpler types of questions (single-choice questions, multiple-choice questions, text-entry boxes) over more complicated types of questions (large grids, drop boxes, slider questions). Based on these results, we identify design heuristics, or general principles, for creating effective smartphone questionnaires. We distinguish between five of them: readability, ease of selection, visibility across the page, simplicity of design elements, and predictability across devices. They provide an initial framework by which to evaluate smartphone questionnaires, though empirical testing and further refinement of the heuristics is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web surveys are commonly used in social research because they are usually cheaper, faster, and simpler to conduct than other modes. They also enable researchers to capture paradata such as response times. Particularly, the determination of proper values to define outliers in response time analyses has proven to be an intricate challenge. In fact, to a certain degree, researchers determine them arbitrarily. In this study, we use “SurveyFocus (SF)”—a paradata tool that records the activity of the web-survey pages—to assess outlier definitions based on response time distributions. Our analyses reveal that these common procedures provide relatively sufficient results. However, they are unable to detect all respondents who temporarily leave the survey, causing bias in the response times. Therefore, we recommend a two-step procedure consisting of the utilization of SF and a common outlier definition to attain a more appropriate analysis and interpretation of response times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because research on the impact of web survey incentives has exclusively focused on Western settings, it is unclear to what extent current insights translate and generalize to non-Western societies, which are usually characterized by very different economic conditions, cultural traditions, and survey climates. The current article presents the results of a web survey incentives experiment among almost 4,440 Ghanaian university students who were offered conditional and unconditional incentives of different values (in the form of telephone credit). Our analyses partly replicate Western findings: Higher value incentives produce higher participation rates and unconditional incentives outperform conditional ones in the lower value conditions. In the case of relatively high incentives, however, conditional outperforms unconditional incentives. No differential effects of incentives on response quality were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most online surveys still look and feel much like paper questionnaires. In particular, although the web is an interactive medium, web surveys rarely exploit this interactive capability. One exception is a series of demonstrations that online survey respondents seem to become more conscientious when prompted (usually with a brief textual message) in response to behaviors like item nonresponse, nondifferentiation, and answering very quickly. While these earlier studies have found that interactive intervention can reduce the occurrence of these behaviors, the underlying mechanism—why the intervention works—remains unclear. To shed light on this, we conducted two experiments to explore why respondents might change their behavior after being prompted. Part of the explanation lies in whether the benefits of the intervention are specific to the targeted behavior or lead to a general increase in conscientious responding. The findings show that intervention can lead to genuine improvement in respondent behaviors, but it also runs the risk of producing socially desirable bias in survey answers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When analyzing survey data, response quality has consequential implications for substantial conclusions. Differences in response quality are usually explained by personality, or socio-demographic or cognitive characteristics. Little, however, is known about how respondents’ political attitudes, values, and opinions impact on quality aspects. This is a striking analytical omission, as potential associations between political values and various forms of response biases and artefacts call into question surveys’ ability to represent ‘public opinion’. In this contribution, response quality is traced back to respondents’ political and ideological dispositions. For this purpose, a relational understanding of response quality is applied that takes into account different aspects of response behaviors, as well as the interrelations between these indicators. Using data from the US General Social Survey (2010–2014), an empirical typology of response quality is created via finite mixture analysis. The resulting classes are then related to positions in the US field of ideological dispositions, constructed via multiple correspondence analysis. The analyses reveal that there are (1) different combinations of response patterns and thus different empirical response types, and (2) that these types of response quality systematically vary with regard to the respondents’ political and ideological (dis)positions. Implications of the findings for public opinion surveys are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probes are follow-ups to survey questions used to gain insights on respondents’ understanding of and responses to these questions. They are usually administered as open-ended questions, primarily in the context of questionnaire pretesting. Due to the decreased cost of data collection for open-ended questions in web surveys, researchers have argued for embedding more open-ended probes in large-scale web surveys. However, there are concerns that this may cause reactivity and impact survey data. The study presents a randomized experiment in which identical survey questions were run with and without open-ended probes. Embedding open-ended probes resulted in higher levels of survey break off, as well as increased backtracking and answer changes to previous questions. In most cases, there was no impact of open-ended probes on the cognitive processing of and response to survey questions. Implications for embedding open-ended probes into web surveys are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the protocol of online multi-image elicitation (OMIE) in an effort to evaluate its methodological contributions – using an example – and analyse its effectiveness as a marketing research technique. We will outline the theoretical and epistemological foundations of this mixed method approach, as well as the principles underpinning its development and the analytical possibilities available. We will show how this hybrid mechanism combines the appeal of an interpretive protocol using both images and text, while at the same time generating – on a large scale – rich- and good-quality data that can be used for statistical purposes. We will see that OMIE is suitable for analysing the experiential and emotional components of consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large decline in cooperation in surveys experienced in the first decade of the twenty first century has placed representative surveys in a veritable quagmire, although numerous researchers have shown that the decline in the total nonresponse has been much higher in administered surveys (face-to-face and telephone) than in self-administered (mail and web surveys). The move from the 'traditional' mail survey to the internet survey has brought important changes, but, at the same time, new challenges have arisen related to the lower coverage and the reduced visibility, the need for certain skills to fill out a questionnaire, changes in response rates, etc. This is a self-administered survey that informs the addressees by mail that they have been selected to participate in a research survey to which they can respond either by using the paper questionnaire (in the letter there is a prepaid envelope), by means of a web questionnaire (accessing a link and using a password), or by telephone (the respondent provided a contact time telephone number via a prepaid envelope or by calling an answering machine). The respondents themselves, therefore, choose the mode of response. An analysis of the responses achieved by each modality shows that the majority of the questionnaires were received by ordinary mail (83.6 %), 359 by internet (14.4 %), and 51 were answered by telephone (2.0 %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing migration and linguistic diversification in many countries, survey researchers and methodologists should consider whether data provided by individuals with variable levels of command of the survey language are of the same quality. This paper examines the question of whether answers from resident foreign respondents who do not master available survey languages may suffer from problems of comprehension of survey items, especially items that are more complicated in terms of content and/or form. In addition, it addresses the extent to which motivation may affect the response quality of resident foreigners. We analyzed data from two large-scale surveys conducted in Switzerland, a country with three national languages and a burgeoning foreign population, employing a set of dependent measures of response quality, including don't know responses, extreme responding, mid-5 responding, recency effects, and straight-lining. Results show overall poorer response quality among foreigners, and indicate that both reduced language mastery and motivation among foreigners are relevant factors. This is especially true for foreign groups from countries that do not share a common language with those spoken in Switzerland. A general conclusion is that the more distant respondents are culturally and linguistically from the majority mainstream within a country, the more their data may be negatively affected. We found that more complex types of questions do generally lead to poorer response quality, but to a much lesser extent than respondent characteristics, such as nationality, command of the survey language, level of education, and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the quality of information collected by a self-administered survey responded to by a general population, who were offered the possibility of answering using the post or Internet. The analysis will be focused on the use of three grid questions with using rating scales with 6, 6 and 8 items, respectively. There was a polar point labelled scale (0–10) with verbal labels only at the endpoints. The postal survey showed greater acquiescence, a greater choice of extreme response categories and ‘easy’ answers, and a greater number of incomplete questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the incidence of distractions during online self-administered surveys and their consequences for response quality. We show that distractions are common and that they add substantially to the duration of surveys. However, we find little evidence that distractions alter appreciably the quality of responses. Interruptions in the survey do not have a meaningful effect on the number of correct answers to factual questions nor do they reduce the consistency with which respondents answer survey questions. Thus, while distractions may provide some challenges for survey administration, the good news is that they do not appear to jeopardize the quality of data collected by researchers through self-administered surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papers: Revista de Sociologia is the property of Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)