From Web Surveys to Online, Multi-Device Surveys

Unintended mobile survey completion rates have risen largely in the past couple of years, with around 7% of the online respondents attempting to access surveys using tablets and 2% using smartphones (LISS panel, June 2013). While these rates are expected to continue to grow, the question arises whether one can speak of traditional web panels as we know them anymore. Expecially the tablet user group has become too large to ignore anymore.

While regular web surveys can be accessed via mobile browsers, this can be burdensome if the layout has not been adapted. To avoid coverage, nonresponse and measurement error, new strategies are needed for offering web surveys which can be properly accessed by the most common online devices.

We present the strategy for the Dutch LISS panel to develop from a web panel towards providing true, multi-platform compatibility to the different online respondent groups. We start with presenting the latest rates of unintended mobile response in online panels and provide a profile of the mobile respondent. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different multi-platform approaches and report the latest experimental findings from the field.