IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/diw/diwsop/diw_sp888.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Response Error in a Web Survey and a Mailed Questionnaire: The Role of Cognitive Functioning

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Kroh
  • Denise Lüdtke
  • Sandra Düzel
  • Florin Winter

Abstract

Web-based interviewing is gradually replacing traditional modes of data collection, in particular telephone and mailed surveys. This global trend takes place despite the fact that established knowledge of its consequences on response error is incomplete. This paper studies differences between a web (CAWI) and a mailed version (MAIL) of a questionnaire in various forms of response error, namely item nonresponse, satisficing, person-reliability, and social desirable responding. We posit 1) that response error depends on respondents cognitive functioning, namely in the domains of global reading abilities, fluid intelligence, as well as working and episodic memory; and 2) that these effects differ across modes of data collection with generally higher prevalence in the CAWI mode since this mode is more demanding. The analysis builds on a randomized mode experiment implemented in the context of the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II), a survey that primarily focuses on multidimensional processes of physical and mental aging (see Bertram et al. 2014). The analysis reveals a high impact of cognitive functioning at the various stages of the survey response process. While we do found moderate mode-differences in response error, such as higher item nonresponse rates in the CAWI mode, we did not find cognitive functioning to be a better predictor of response error in web-based interviewing.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Kroh & Denise Lüdtke & Sandra Düzel & Florin Winter, 2016. "Response Error in a Web Survey and a Mailed Questionnaire: The Role of Cognitive Functioning," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 888, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp888
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.550493.de/diw_sp0888.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kroh, Martin & Winter, Florin & Schupp, Jürgen, 2016. "Using Person-Fit Measures to Assess the Impact of Panel Conditioning on Reliability," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 80(4), pages 914-942.
    2. Couper, Mick P. & Kapteyn, Arie & Schonlau, Matthias & Winter, Joachim, 2007. "Noncoverage and nonresponse in an Internet survey," Munich Reprints in Economics 20093, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    3. Anke Böckenhoff & Denise Saßenroth & Martin Kroh & Thomas Siedler & Peter Eibich & Gert G. Wagner, 2013. "The Socio-Economic Module of the Berlin Aging Study II (SOEP-BASE): Description, Structure, and Questionnaire," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 568, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    4. Denise Saßenroth & Martin Kroh & Gert G. Wagner, 2013. "Selectivity Processes in and Weights for the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II)," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 608, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kiriaki M. Keramitsoglou & Katja Lozar Manfreda & Charalampia Anastasiou & Knut Kalgraff Skjak & Konstantinos P. Tsagarakis, 2018. "Mode comparison study on willingness to buy and willingness to pay for organic foods: paper-and-pencil versus computerized questionnaire," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 587-603, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Crossley, Thomas F. & Fisher, Paul & Low, Hamish, 2021. "The heterogeneous and regressive consequences of COVID-19: Evidence from high quality panel data," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    2. Arni, Patrick & Dragone, Davide & Goette, Lorenz & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2021. "Biased health perceptions and risky health behaviors—Theory and evidence," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    3. Joachim Winter & Amelie Wuppermann, 2014. "Do They Know What Is At Risk? Health Risk Perception Among The Obese," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(5), pages 564-585, May.
    4. Axsen, Jonn & Mountain, Dean C. & Jaccard, Mark, 2009. "Combining stated and revealed choice research to simulate the neighbor effect: The case of hybrid-electric vehicles," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 221-238, August.
    5. Grewenig, Elisabeth & Lergetporer, Philipp & Simon, Lisa & Werner, Katharina & Woessmann, Ludger, 2018. "Can Online Surveys Represent the Entire Population?," IZA Discussion Papers 11799, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Arthur van Soest & Arie Kapteyn, 2009. "Mode and Context Effects in Measuring Household Assets," Working Papers 200949, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    7. Mohorko Anja & Leeuw Edith de & Hox Joop, 2013. "Internet Coverage and Coverage Bias in Europe: Developments Across Countries and Over Time," Journal of Official Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 29(4), pages 609-622, December.
    8. Mick P. Couper & Eleanor Singer & Carrie A. Levin & Floyd J. Fowler Jr. & Angela Fagerlin & Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher, 2010. "Use of the Internet and Ratings of Information Sources for Medical Decisions: Results from the DECISIONS Survey," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 30(5_suppl), pages 106-114, September.
    9. Richard, James E. & Purnell, Fruen, 2017. "Rethinking Catalogue and Online B2B Buyer Channel Preferences in the Education Supplies Market," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 1-15.
    10. Gerstorf, Denis & Hülür, Gizem & Drewelies, Johanna & Eibich, Peter & Duezel, Sandra & Demuth, Ilja & Ghisletta, Paolo & Steinhagen-Thiessen, Elisabeth & Wagner, Gert G. & Lindenberger, Ulman, 2015. "Secular Changes in Late-Life Cognition and Well-Being: Towards a Long Bright Future with a Short Brisk Ending?," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 30(2), pages 301-310.
    11. Hung, Kam & Law, Rob, 2011. "An overview of Internet-based surveys in hospitality and tourism journals," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 717-724.
    12. Xinyi Wang & F. Atiyya Shaw & Patricia L. Mokhtarian & Kari E. Watkins, 2023. "Response willingness in consecutive travel surveys: an investigation based on the National Household Travel Survey using a sample selection model," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(6), pages 2339-2373, December.
    13. Matthias Schonlau & Arthur van Soest & Arie Kapteyn & Mick Couper, 2009. "Selection Bias in Web Surveys and the Use of Propensity Scores," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 37(3), pages 291-318, February.
    14. Stefano Visintin & Kea Tijdens & Stephanie Steinmetz & Pablo de Pedraza, 2015. "Task implementation heterogeneity and wage dispersion," IZA Journal of Labor Economics, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-24, December.
    15. Joanne W. Hsu & Brooke H. McFall, 2015. "Mode effects in mixed-mode economic surveys: Insights from a randomized experiment," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2015-8, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    16. Simon Kühne & Martin Kroh, 2016. "Using Personalized Feedback to Increase Data Quality and Respondents' Motivation in Web Surveys?," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 855, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    17. Milan Scasny & Milan Scasny & Iva Zverinova & Mikolaj Czajkowski, 2015. "Individual preference for the alternative fuel vehicles and their attributes in Poland," EcoMod2015 8575, EcoMod.
    18. repec:aia:aiaswp:wp76 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Sebastian Kocar & Nicholas Biddle, 2023. "The power of online panel paradata to predict unit nonresponse and voluntary attrition in a longitudinal design," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 1055-1078, April.
    20. Giovanni Franco, 2024. "The return of non-probability sample: the electoral polls at the time of internet and social media," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 3811-3830, August.
    21. Jakub Sopko, 2020. "An overview of selected risk factors for health in OECD countries," Proceedings of Economics and Finance Conferences 10913074, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mixed-mode design; CAWI; cognitive functioning; response quality;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp888. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Bibliothek (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/sodiwde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.