Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys

Don A. Dillman, PHD, is Regents’ Professor in the Department of Sociology and the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center at Washington State University. He received the Roger Herriot Award for Innovation in Federal Statistics from the American Statistical Association and the Washington Statistical Society in 2000.Jolene D. Smyth, PHD, is an associate professor in the Survey Research and Methodology Program and the Department of Sociology and is the Director of the Bureau of Social Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.Leah Melani Christian, PHD, is a Director in Research Methods at Nielsen where her work focuses on panel recruitment and maintenance.

• Additional Resources xiPreface xiiiChapter 1 Sample Surveys in Our Electronic World 1Four Cornerstones of Quality Surveys 3What is Different About Surveying in the 2010s? 10Why Emphasize Mixed-Mode Data Collection? 12What is Tailored Design and Why is it Needed? 15Conclusion 17Chapter 2 Reducing People’s Reluctance to Respond to Surveys 19Example of a Survey with a High Response Rate 21Using Social Exchange Concepts to Motivate Potential Respondents 23Putting the Parts Together: Some Guidelines for Applying Social Exchange 42Mixed-Mode Designs Provide New Opportunities for Applying Social Exchange 47Returning to the WSU Doctoral Student Experience Survey: Why it Obtained Such a High Response Rate 50Conclusion 55List of Guidelines 55Chapter 3 Covering the Population and Selecting Who to Survey 56Essential Definitions and Their Use 57Current Coverage and Access Considerations 58Common Sampling Frames and Assessing How Well They Cover the Population 62Probability Sampling 75Postsurvey Adjustments and Calculating Sampling Error 87Nonprobability Sampling 91Conclusion 92Chapter 4 The Fundamentals of Writing Questions 94Issues to Consider When Starting to Craft Survey Questions 95The Anatomy of a Survey Question and Types of Question Formats 109Guidelines for Choosing Words and Forming Questions 113Conclusion 125List of Guidelines 126Chapter 5 How to Write Open- and Closed-Ended Questions 127Guidelines for Writing Open-Ended Questions 128General Guidelines for Writing All Types of Closed-Ended Questions 134Guidelines for Nominal Closed-Ended Questions 142Guidelines for Ordinal Closed-Ended Questions 150Conclusion 164List of Guidelines 167Chapter 6 Aural Versus Visual Design of Questions and Questionnaires 169The Importance of Visual Design in Self-Administered Surveys 172Visual Design Concepts and Their Application to Surveys 173General Guidelines for the Visual Presentation of Survey Questions 183Guidelines for the Visual Presentation of Open-Ended Questions 192Guidelines for the Visual Presentation of Closed-Ended Questions 197Guidelines for the Visual Presentation of Questionnaire Pages or Screens 204A Case Study: The Use of Visual Design Principles to Improve Data Quality in the American Community Survey 218Conclusion 224List of Guidelines 225Chapter 7 Ordering Questions and Testing for Question Order Effects 228Question Order 229Testing Questions and Questionnaires 241Conclusion 256List of Guidelines 257Chapter 8 Telephone Questionnaires and Implementation 258Types of Telephone-Only Surveys Today 262Guidelines for Designing Telephone Questionnaires 262Guidelines for Administering Telephone Questionnaires 277Guidelines for Establishing Calling Rules and Procedures 284Quality Control and Testing Guidelines for Telephone Surveys 293Conclusion 298List of Guidelines 298Chapter 9 Web Questionnaires and Implementation 301Guidelines for Designing Web and Mobile Questionnaires 303Guidelines for Web and Mobile Survey Implementation 328Quality Control and Testing Guidelines for Web and Mobile Surveys 342Conclusion 348List of Guidelines 349Chapter 10 Mail Questionnaires and Implementation 351Guidelines for Designing Paper Questionnaires 352Guidelines for Implementing Mail Questionnaires 366Quality Control and Testing Guidelines for Mail Surveys 389Conclusion 396List of Guidelines 396Chapter 11 Mixed-Mode Questionnaires and Survey Implementation 398When Single-Mode Surveys are Not Acceptable 398Why Consider a Mixed-Mode Survey Design 400Guidelines for Designing Questionnaires That Will Minimize Measurement Differences Across Survey Modes 404Expanding the Research Base for Designing Mixed-Mode Surveys 416Guidelines for Using Multiple Contact Modes to Achieve More Effective Communication with Potential Respondents 417Guidelines for Providing Alternative Response Modes 424From Individual Guidelines to Practical Study Designs 434Guidelines for Testing Mixed-Mode Surveys 445Conclusion 447List of Guidelines 448Chapter 12 Responding to Societal Change and Preparing for What Lies Ahead 450Panels and Longitudinal Surveys 452Nonprobability Sampling 455New Mobile Devices and Technology 456Supplementing Questionnaires with Measurement Using Electronic Devices 458Big Data and Administrative Records 459Data Security 461Specialized Purpose Surveys 461International and Cross-Cultural Surveys 463The Challenge of Connecting with Empowered but Diverse Respondents 464References 469Author Index 491Subject Index 497

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