Unit (non)response in Web-based access panel surveys: An extended planned-behavior approach (original) (raw)

Validation of the voluntary participation in online surveys scale

A comprehensive understanding of participants' motives to complete web-based surveys has the potential to improve data quality. In this study we tested the construct validity of a scale developed to measure motivation to participate in webbased surveys. We expected that 7 different motivations observed in our previous study will form a 3-factor structure, as predicted by Self-Determination Theory. This web-based questionnaire study comprised 257 participants completing the Voluntary Participation in Online Studies Scale. Their responses to 21 items underwent a principal component analysis and confi rmatory factor analysis. As we expected, three factors were identifi ed: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and amotivation. In line with Self-Determination Theory there are three distinct groups of motives among web-surveys participants with amotivation as an understudied motivational state. We discuss the results suggesting which types of motivation might lead to higher quality of data with an emphasis on possible negative effects of amotivation.

Understanding citizen attendance to poll aggregation websites through an extended application of the theory of planned behavior View supplementary material

This study integrated need for orientation and subjective numeracy into the theory of planned behavior to understand the use of poll aggregation websites over the course of the 2016 presidential election. The results of a longitudinal analysis suggested that need for orientation is positively associated with one's perceptions of the value ascribed to poll aggregation websites by important others, and one's overall attitudes toward poll aggregation websites. Furthermore, the present data indicated that numeracy is positively associated with the degree to which users believe that they can successfully extract meaning from poll aggregation sites. We also found that perceived behavioral control, subjective normative perceptions, and attitudes all significantly accounted for variance in behavioral intentions to use poll aggregate websites. Finally, the data indicated that behavioral intention was a significant predictor of self-reported website usage, even after controlling for prior levels of use.

Survey Participation as Reasoned Action; a Behavioral Paradigm for Survey Nonresponse?

Bulletin de Méthodologie Sociologique, 1995

La participation dans une enquête comme action raisonnée -Un paradigme comportemental pour la non-réponse d'enquête? La non-réponse dénquête entame la valeur inférentielle des enquêtes par questionnaire. La non'réponse est d'ores et déjà un problème reconnu aux Etats-Unis et en Europe dÓuest. Pur lutter convenablement contre le problème de la nonréponse, un connaisance étendu des répondants et des non-répondants est néccesaire. Dans cet article, les auteurs décrivent une méthode pour réussir à collecter des informations aussi bien des répondants que des non-répondants. La méthode a été développée et testée par Cialdini aux USA; nous démontrons quélle peut être employee avec success aux Pays-Bas et que les resultants de Cialdini ont une validité transculturelle. Dáutre part, nous démontronsque la décision de répondre ou ne pas répondre á un questionnaire d'enquête peut être partialement expliquée par la theorie d'action raisonnée. Theorie d'action raisonnée, Non-réponse, Réponse, Enquête, Expérience, Cialdini, Réplication Transculturelle.

Compensating for Low Topic Interest and Long Surveys: A Field Experiment on Nonresponse in Web Surveys

Social Science Computer Review, 2007

Certain survey characteristics proven to affect response rates, such as a survey's length and topic, are often under limited control of the researcher. Therefore, survey researchers sometimes seek to compensate for such undesired effects on response rates by employing countermeasures such as material or nonmaterial incentives. The scarce evidence on those factors' effects in web survey contexts is far from being conclusive. This study is aimed at filling this gap by examining the effects of four factors along with selected interactions presumed to affect response rates in web surveys. Requests to complete a web-based, selfadministered survey were sent to 2,152 owners of personal websites. The 2 ϫ 2 ϫ 2 ϫ 2 fully crossed factorial design encompassed the experimental conditions of (a) high versus low topic salience, (b) short versus long survey, (c) lottery incentive versus no incentive, and (d) no feedback and general feedback (study results) versus personal feedback (individual profile of results). As expected, highly salient and shorter surveys yielded considerably higher unit-response rates. Moreover, partial support was found for interaction hypotheses derived from the leverage-salience theory of survey participation. Offering personalized feedback compensated for the negative effects of low topic salience on response rates. Also, the lottery incentive tended to evoke more responses only if the survey was short (versus long), but this interaction effect was only marginally significant. The results stress the usefulness of a multifactorial approach encompassing interaction effects to understand participation differences in web surveys. Steffen Lindner has finished his undergraduate studies in psychology at the Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany, with a diploma degree. His major research interests are response rates in online surveys and teachers' attitudes toward the German school system. His

An analysis of the effect of pre-incentives and post-incentives based on draws on response to web surveys

2010

Most analyses of the effect of incentives on response rates have attempted to extrapolate to the Internet the already existing broad knowledge base of methodologies for personal surveys by telephone and post. However, such knowledge about existing methods is not directly applicable to the Internet-based interviews. This study therefore examines the manner in which different combinations of incentives can affect response to a survey over the Internet. With such a purpose incentives have been chosen based on draws that has been administered under the pre-incentives philosophy (giving the possibility to participate in a draw, independently that the questionnaire was stuffed or not) or post-incentives (giving the possibility to participate in a draw only those that stuffed the questionnaire). A surprising result is that the joint use of pre-incentives and post-incentives slightly improves response rates, although it also causes rates to be considerably lower than when these incentives are used separately.

Assessing Response Rates and Nonresponse Bias In Web and Paper Surveys

Research in Higher Education, 2003

Using data collected as part of the second pilot administration of Your First College Year (YFCY), a national survey of first-year college students, this study was designed to examine both response rates and nonresponse bias across four survey administration groups: paper-only, paper with web option, web-only with response incentive, and web-only without response incentive. Findings indicate that response rates vary by mode of administration. Moreover, predictors of response differed by administration group. Results are discussed in light of the recent surge of interest in online survey research.

A reasoned action explanation for survey nonresponse

Survey nonresponse is a threat to the inferential value of the survey method. To adequately fight the nonresponse problem extensive knowledge about respondents and nonrespondents is necessary. In this article we describe Cialdini's method to collect information of both respondents and nonrespondents. We show that this method can be successfully used in the Netherlands and that Cialdini's results have cross-cultural validity. The decision to respond or refuse to a request for survey participation can be adequately described by the theory of reasoned action, but its predictive value is small.