Asking Questions - The Definitive Guide To Questionnaire Design ...

ORGANIZING AND DESIGNING QUESTIONNAIRES 303
1. Web surveys as entertainment. These surveys are generally for
entertainment purposes and are not of real value. We mention
them only for your general knowledge. Most often, surveys as entertainment
are polls that have no set population in mind. Typically
these polls are not asking anything of scientific value. Good examples
of these are question-of-the-day surveys.
2. Self-selected Web surveys. This is the most popular form of
Web survey and comes in the form of pop-up windows that allow
Web visitors to link to the survey. These surveys have some value,
but often do not limit who visits, or how many times. Although
these types of surveys are not considered scientific, some broad generalizations
can be made about them.
3. Volunteer panels of Internet users. Participants in these surveys
are recruited from pop-up advertisements or from well-frequented
sites. Some demographic information is collected through an initial
form, and this information becomes the bulk of lists that can be
accessed for future survey participants. When asked to participate,
respondents often need to use a special code and therefore cannot
forward the survey or have someone else fill it out.
4. Intercept surveys. These surveys typically ask a randomly
selected interval of visitors (every tenth visitor, for example) to fill
out a survey as they enter or exit the Web site. Coverage problems
are avoided by only asking site visitors to fill out the survey. This
approach does incorporate problems of timing (when to solicit participation)
and nonresponse (low response rates).
5. List-based samples of high-coverage populations. This survey
starts with a list of possible respondents who already have Web access.
Respondents are then invited to participate. Problems of noncoverage
are generally avoided with this method, but the problem
of nonresponse is a major concern. Surveys using this method generally
have less of a response rate than comparable mail surveys.
6. Mixed-mode design with choice of completion method. This
method of Web survey is often posed as a choice among different response
methods (Web, phone, mail), to groups of people who have