Читать книгу Handbook of Web Surveys - Jelke Bethlehem - Страница 47

A web survey is a relatively new data collection technique. The role of the web in conducting surveys is more important due to the spread of the Internet. At first sight, it is an attractive means of data collection because it has many advantages. Among them are costs, timeliness, and the possibility of improving survey quality. Web surveys allow for simple, fast, and cheap access to large groups of potential respondents. Web surveys have quickly become very popular. Recently, due to the high penetration of mobile devices connected to Internet, mobile web surveys are becoming an interesting data collection tool. In practice every web survey becomes a mobile web survey, if access to these devices is not blocked. For these reasons it is important to check how questionnaire works on mobile devices, especially on smartphones. Optimization procedures exist to adapt the questionnaire. Web survey and mobile web surveys deserve also methodological challenges like selection effects and measurement errors. There are ample examples of web surveys not based on probability sampling. It is not always easy to distinguish good surveys from bad. Mobile web surveys encompass even more challenges related to several technical problems like screen and browser characteristics, adaption of the format of the questionnaire, and behavioral issue like when is the questionnaire received. The respondent could be traveling, working, out for a walk, or sporting activity.

This chapter describes the various forms of online data collection, from simple e‐mail surveys to advanced web surveys. It shows how to use web surveys for different target populations, for cross‐sectional data collection, and for longitudinal data collection (panels). It discusses the main reasons for online data collection, the advantages and disadvantages, areas of application, and specific related problems.