Michael W. Link

Comparison of Smartphone and Online Computer Survey Administration

The dramatic rise of smartphones has profound implications for survey research. Namely, can smartphones become a viable and comparable device for self-administered surveys? The current study is based on approximately 1,500 online U.S. panelists who were smartphone users and who were randomly assigned to the mobile app or online computer mode of a survey. Within the survey, we embedded several experiments that had been previously tested in other modes (mail, PC web, mobile web). First, we test whether responses in the mobile app survey are sensitive to particular experimental manipulations as they are in other modes. Second, we test whether responses collected in the mobile app survey are similar to those collected in the online computer survey. Our mobile survey experiments show that mobile survey responses are sensitive to the presentation of frequency scales and the size of open-ended text boxes, as are responses in other survey modes. Examining responses across modes, we find very limited evidence for mode effects between mobile app and PC web survey administrations. This may open the possibility for multimode (mobile and online computer) surveys, assuming that certain survey design recommendations for mobile surveys are used consistently in both modes.

Facebook User Research Using a Probability-Based Sample and Behavioral Data

Research on Facebook users is often based on small convenience samples and on usage data collected through survey self-reports. The current research contributes to Facebook user research, as it is based on a large, nationally representative, probability-based, U.S. sample with Internet usage data collected from meters. Results revealed that 50% of sample members are recent Facebook users. However, within this group, there is wide variation in amount of usage between heavy, medium, and light users. Finally, based on a multivariate analysis, Facebook users are significantly more likely to be women, teens, whites, and adults with at least a high school diploma. These demographic patterns apply to heavy, medium, and light Facebook users.

Too Much Information: Does the Internet Dig Too Deep?

ABSTRACT A lot of attention has been focused on the array of digital measurement tools; relatively less consideration has been given to peoples acceptance of these devices. There is no limitation in developing sophisticated measurement tools. However, the challenge is overcoming the perception of these devices as a privacy threat. Therefore, a set of questions was designed to determine peoples attitudes and behaviors toward privacy issues linked to participation in television and internet measurement by recruiting 2,900 respondents using the Intercept methodology. The data analysis indicated distinct demographic patterns of attitudes and behaviors toward privacy issues. These findings are discussed in terms of determining strategies to improve participation in research efforts.

Not So Fun? The Challenges of Applying Gamification to Smartphone Measurement

Gamification and engagement techniques (points, status, virtual badges, and social-sharing) are applied to a mobile and on-line data collection tool to determine if these approaches can improve respondent compliance with a requested task: recording their television viewing over the course of several weeks by increasing their engagement with the app. In a series of tests, we demonstrate that virtual badges appear to be a salient and positively viewed technique for app engagement among teens and younger adults. However, not all of these approaches have positive impact especially with older adults and, in the end, do not improve compliance with the primary task.

Reaching Linguistically Isolated People: Findings from a Telephone Survey Using Real-time Interpreters:

We can no longer ignore nonresponse rates in telephone surveys because of a language barrier (i.e., people who could not speak either English or Spanish) and the corresponding potential for bias in estimates from surveys that involve only English- or Spanish-speaking respondents. Building on a few published studies focusing on this problem, a pilot study was conducted in California as part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the world’s largest ongoing public health telephone survey. The aim of this follow-up study is to evaluate the effectiveness of conducting BRFSS interviews of non-English- and non-Spanish-speaking respondents via real-time interpreters. One hundred and ninety-five people identified as having a language barrier in the 2006 California BRFSS were interviewed with the assistance of on-phone interpreters. The use of real-time interpreters increased the number of completed interviews among Asian respondents in the California BRFSS from 262 to 400 and allowed a more reliable examination of key health conditions and behavioral risk factors among Asian Americans. In addition, the study reached persons with demographic profiles different from those typically interviewed in English or Spanish. The methodology used in this study might be an effective tool for telephone survey researchers to consider using to reach linguistically isolated respondents.