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Using Eye-Tracking Methodology to Study Grid Question Designs in Web Surveys

Author

Listed:
  • Neuert Cornelia E.

    (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, P.O. Box 12 21 55, 68072 Mannheim, Germany.)

  • Roßmann Joss

    (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, P.O. Box 12 21 55, 68072 Mannheim, Germany.)

  • Silber Henning

    (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, P.O. Box 12 21 55, 68072 Mannheim, Germany.)

Abstract

Grid questions are frequently employed in web surveys due to their assumed response efficiency. In line with this, many previous studies have found shorter response times for grid questions compared to item-by-item formats. Our contribution to this literature is to investigate how altering the question format affects response behavior and the depth of cognitive processing when answering both grid question and item-by-item formats. To answer these questions, we implemented an experiment with three questions in an eye-tracking study. Each question consisted of a set of ten items which respondents answered either on a single page (large grid), on two pages with five items each (small grid), or on ten separate pages (item-by-item). We did not find substantial differences in cognitive processing overall, while the processing of the question stem and the response scale labels was significantly higher for the item-by-item design than for the large grid in all three questions. We, however, found that when answering an item in a grid question, respondents often refer to surrounding items when making a judgement. We discuss the findings and limitations of our study and provide suggestions for practical design decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Neuert Cornelia E. & Roßmann Joss & Silber Henning, 2023. "Using Eye-Tracking Methodology to Study Grid Question Designs in Web Surveys," Journal of Official Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 39(1), pages 79-101, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:offsta:v:39:y:2023:i:1:p:79-101:n:1
    DOI: 10.2478/jos-2023-0004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Vera Toepoel & Corrie Vis & Marcel Das & Arthur van Soest, 2009. "Design of Web Questionnaires," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 37(3), pages 371-392, February.
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