Designing Effective Online Surveys – August 2023

Event Phone: 1-610-715-0115

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In the unlikely event that Statistical Horizons LLC must cancel a seminar, we will do our best to inform you as soon as possible of the cancellation. You would then have the option of receiving a full refund of the seminar fee or a credit towards another seminar. In no event shall Statistical Horizons LLC be liable for any incidental or consequential damages that you may incur because of the cancellation.

A 4-Day Livestream Seminar
Taught by Andrew Miles, Ph.D.

The Internet has revolutionized survey research. Web-based surveys are now used in many disciplines, and for good reason. Compared to traditional paper-and-pencil and face-to-face modes of data collection, they make it easy to randomize question order, skip irrelevant questions, include rich multimedia content, and adapt the survey experience based on respondent input. Add to this a wide range of question types and unparalleled ease of distribution, and it is easy to see why web-based surveys have become so popular.

But the Internet doesn’t just make it easy to program surveys: it also gives unparalleled access to a vast reservoir of potential research participants. With the help of third-party web panels or crowdsourcing websites, researchers can recruit respondents and complete data collection in a matter of days, sometimes hours. Fielding surveys online is also inexpensive, which makes it possible to obtain large samples even for researchers on a budget.

Online surveys are not a panacea, however. Web-based surveys make use of digital technologies that differ in marked ways from other survey modes, raising the question of how the mode of data collection influences results. Web surveys can also be completed on both computers and mobile devices, a fact which comes with its own set of possibilities and pitfalls. And respondents recruited online are generally far from representative of most populations.

This course provides a practical introduction to designing effective web surveys and working with online respondents. Particular attention is given to how choices made at the questionnaire-writing and web-design stages affect response rates and data quality, with an emphasis on highlighting actionable design strategies. We also delve deeply into the advantages and disadvantages of using online samples and evaluate design-based and post-hoc approaches to addressing some of the challenges associated with online research.

This course presents the latest research on designing web-surveys and working with online respondents. We first address the fundamentals of writing effective survey questions, which is the core of any survey, web-based or otherwise. We then turn to various design issues with an eye toward maximizing response rates and data quality. Topics include determining optimal survey length, adapting for mobile devices, reducing respondent fatigue, creating effective visual layouts, and pre-testing. We then discuss online samples: when to use them, how to recruit them, and how to manage them effectively. Class meetings will consist of lectures interspersed with demonstrations of key ideas. Participants will be given the opportunity to apply the principles and skills through take-home exercises.

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