Design and Administration of Internet , Mail

and Mixed-Mode Surveys

Description: Sample surveys provide a powerful means of describing the opinions and behavior of millions, while obtaining data from only a few hundred or thousand individuals in those populations. However, methods for surveying are changing, with doing surveys on the Internet one of the most promising new technologies. Web and mail questionnaires share many common features that influence their design, e.g., both are self-administered and dependent upon visual communication. Increasingly, each is being used as part of mixed-mode strategies for achieving high survey response, whereby some respondents are being asked to respond to one or both of these modes, while others are interviewed by phone or in-person.

This course begins with a discussion of the multiple sources of error (coverage, sampling, measurement and non-response) that must be overcome to achieve quality results from web and mail surveys. Next, principles for writing questions in ways that minimize measurement error across survey methods are described, followed by a discussion of the consequences of ordering questions in different ways, and how self-administered questionnaires often produce different answers than do telephone interviews. Principles for constructing questionnaires follow, beginning with a discussion of how page layouts-graphics and numbers in addition to words-influence people to read and answer questions. Day one concludes with a discussion of the ways in which these principles of design and layout need to be applied similarly, but with appropriate variations for the paper vs. electronic formats. Day two emphasizes methods for achieving high response rates while minimizing non-response error. Attention will be given to how mail and Internet implementation strategies need to build upon similar foundations, but will differ in their details.

The approach presented in this seminar builds upon that described in the instructor's recent book: Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method (John Wiley, 2000).* The emphasis is on how to develop, present, and encourage response to survey questions by both mail and the web so as to obtain high response rates and high quality responses. Many examples and problems will be presented to participants as means of learning the concepts. The Internet portion of the course does not include specific discussion of specific hardware or software, or technical instruction on how to program web pages. (*Participants will receive a copy of this text.)

Instructor: Dr. Don A. Dillman is The Thomas S. Foley Distinguished Professor of Government and Public Policy in the Departments of Sociology, and Rural Sociology and Deputy Director for Research in the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center at Washington State University. From 1991-1995 he was the Senior Survey Methodologist at the U.S. Bureau of the Census, where he provided leadership for the development of the 2000 Decennial Census Form and implementation procedures. Since 1995 he has been a Senior Scientist for the Gallup Organization. His 1978 book, Mail and Telephone Surveys, was the first to provide step-by-step procedures for conducting such surveys. His current research emphasizes how the visual design and layout of questionnaires influences respondent answers, and the mixing of new survey technologies, such as the web and touch-tone data entry. Recent papers appear on his web page www.survey.sesrc.wsu.edu/dillman/  

Certificates: CEP, IB.c or CAEP, IIB.c; and CQEM, III.e

Fee: $795