Helping Respondents Get It Right the First Time
The Influence of Words, Symbols, and Graphics in Web Surveys
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6367752 |
|---|---|
| Authors | L M Christian, Christian Lovis (0000-0002-2681-8076, corresponding author), D A Dillman, Jolene D Smyth (0000-0001-8905-8804) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 71 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 113-125 |
| Publication date | 2007-02-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Public Opinion Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-362X • E-ISSN: 1537-5331 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/poq/nfl039 |
| OpenAlex | W2170673411 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 22 |
| References cited | 3 |
We utilize and apply visual design theory to experimentally test ways to improve the likelihood that web respondents report date answers in a particular format desired by the researcher, thus reducing possible deleterious effects of error messages or requests for corrections. These experiments were embedded in a series of web surveys of random samples of university students. We seek to examine the sequential and cumulative effects of visually manipulating the size and proximity of the answer spaces, the use of symbols instead of words, the verbal language of the question stem, and the graphical location of the symbolic instruction. Our results show that the successive series of visual language manipulations improve respondents’ use of the desired format (two digits for the month and four digits for the year) from 45 percent to 96 percent. These results suggest that writing effective questions for web surveys may depend as much or more on the presentation of the answer categories/spaces as the question wording itself
Computer graphics (images · Graphics · Presentation (obstetrics · Series (stratigraphy · Test (biology · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods · Mobile Crowdsensing and Crowdsourcing · Psychology · Survey Methodology and Nonresponse
Designing Effective Web Surveys
Asking for Numbers and Quantities
Examples in Open-Ended Survey Questions
Differences in the Visual Design Language of Paper-and-Pencil Surveys Versus Web Surveys
Asking Probing Questions in Web Surveys
Thinking Inside the Box
Cognitive Probes in Web Surveys
Measurement Reliability, Validity, and Quality of Slider Versus Radio Button Scales in an Online Probability-Based Panel in Norway
Effects of Smiley Face Scales on Visual Processing of Satisfaction Questions in Web Surveys
Fifty years of survey innovation
Short is Better’. Evaluating the Attentiveness of Online Respondents Through Screener Questions in a Real Survey Environment
Smileys, Stars, Hearts, Buttons, Tiles or Grids
Low Cost Social Science Surveys in Rural Areas
Concurrent Mixed Modes
The challenges and benefits of analyzing feedback comments in surveys
Can Verbal Instructions Counteract Visual Context Effects in Web Surveys
Open-Ended Questions in Web Surveys
Questions for Surveys
Efectos de respuesta en cuestionarios con preguntas de actitud
The Effects of Item Saliency and Question Design on Measurement Error in a Self-Administered Survey
Designing Scalar Questions for Web Surveys
Advances in the Science of Asking Questions
| Unique citing works | 22 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,22 |
| Citation span | 2008 - 2026 (19) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 22 |