Using the Internet as an effective survey tool - an exploratory study on Internet survey theories and techniques

Abstract

The popularity of the Internet has sparked a wide interest in conducting surveys on it. This study examines survey participation behaviours on the Internet and techniques to improve survey performance. A student population was surveyed to assess the impact of various survey techniques and certain respondent attributes on Internet survey responses. While quantitative method was adopted as the primary analysis method, qualitative method was also used to analyse survey respondents' feedback to expand the understanding on survey response behaviour. While the quantitative method did not provide enough statistical support for the four existing survey theories, the qualitative analysis results showed great support for Social Exchange Theory. Based on survey feedback, reward and trust seemed to be the most positive influencing factors on respondent's willingness to participate in an Internet survey, cost seemed to be the biggest barrier to Internet survey participation. Furthermore, Dissonance Theory, Self-Perception Theory and Commitment Theory also received some degree of support from the respondent's feedback. Survey techniques were found to have significant effect on survey response level. Follow-up contact and incentives were found most effective in inducing Internet survey response rate. In addition, using incentives was also found to significantly improve the level of accuracy in survey responses. Statistical evidences also suggested that prernotification could significantly increase survey response speed and avoiding using skip-questions could significantly improve survey completion rate. The findings provided empirical support for the view that Internet survey response behaviour is explainable by traditional survey theories and strongly influenced by various survey techniques.