RESEARCH METHOD COHEN ok

INTERNET-BASED SURVEYS 235
Box 10.1
continued
Problem: dropout
Respondents may lose interest after a while and
abandon the survey, thereby losing all the
survey data.
Respondents may not know how long the
questionnaire is, and so may lose interest.
Possible solution
Have a device that requires respondents to send their replies
screen by screen (e.g. a ‘Submit’ button at the foot of each
screen) section by section, or item by item. Put each question
or each section on a separate screen, with ‘submit’ at the end
of each screen. Adopt a ‘one-item-one-screen’ technique.
Include a device for indicating how far through the
questionnaire the respondent has reached: a progress bar at
the bottom or the side of the survey.
Chapter 10
Internet surveys take longer to complete than
paper-based surveys.
People do not want to take part, and it is easier
for someone to quit or cancel an Internet-based
survey than a paper-based survey (simply a click
of a button).
Diminishing returns (the survey response drops
off quite quickly). Newsgroup postings and
electronic discussion group data are removed,
relegated or archived after a period of time (e.g.
aweek),andreadersdonotreadlowerdown
the lists of postings.
Non-participation may be high (i.e. potential
participants may not choose to start, in contrast
to those who start and who subsequently drop
out).
Error messages (e.g. if an item has not been
completed) cause frustration and may cause
respondents to abandon the questionnaire.
Keep the Internet survey as short, clear and easy to complete
as possible.
Increase incentives to participate (e.g. financial incentives,
lottery tickets, if they are permitted in the country).
Ensure that the web site is re-posted each week during the
data collection period.
Increase incentives to participate. Locate personal
informational questions at the start of the survey.
Avoid error messages if possible, but, if not possible, provide
clear reasons why the error was made and how to rectify it.
Smyth et al. (2004:21)alsosuggestthatthe
use of headings and separation of sections take on
added significance in Internet-based surveys. They
report that separating items into two sections with
headings had a ‘dramatic effect’ on responses,
as respondents felt compelled to answer both
subgroups (70 per cent gave an answer in both
subgroups whereas only 41 per cent did so when
there were no headings or sectionalization). They
also found that separating a vertical list of items
into subgroups and columns (double-banking) was
not a ‘desirable construction practice’ and should
be avoided if possible. They report that asking
respondents for some open-ended responses (e.g.
writing their subject specialisms) can be more
efficient than having them track down a long list
of subjects to find the one that applies to them,
though this can be mitigated by placing simple