Understanding survey response behaviour in a digital age: Mixed-device online surveys and mobile device use

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We live in a digital age with technologies changing rapidly and entering all aspects of life including surveys. Surveys have also started adopting technologies including mobile devices for data collection. There is a big move in the direction of online data collection in the UK including the plan to collect 75% of household responses through the online mode of data collection in the UK 2021 Census. However, evidence is needed to demonstrate that an online data collection strategy will work in the UK. Unfortunately, so far not much is known about online data collection in the UK as the available datasets have small subsamples. This project addresses this gap and aims to analyse online response behaviour and data quality issues in the first available key ESRC large scale data resource as well as in another secondary data resource in the UK that are partially collected online with mobile devices as an available option for respondents - Understanding Society and Second Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE2). These data will contain large enough samples to conduct advanced statistical modelling to address this project's research questions. One of the ESRC current main priority areas for investment is 'ways of being in a digital age' and this project addresses issues which belong to this area of priority by studying respondents' choice of devices used during completion of online surveys and their online survey behaviour. Experience from other countries will be taken into account through the use of international advisors from the US and the Netherlands who will be part of the project's Advisory Committee. The project will also carry out some data analysis work in parallel with the Dutch partners from the Data Collection Innovation Centre. Results from the project will be compared to findings from the Netherlands to draw cross-country comparisons. The findings from our project will be instrumental in better understanding participants' choices of devices used and response behaviour in mixed-device online surveys in the UK and in particular in informing best practice for the next UK Census in 2021. The project will also extend understanding of the data quality issues related to online mode of data collection with a special focus on respondents' use of different devices including mobile devices during survey completion process. These findings will inform knowledge that will lead to improvements in online data collection and as a result of this in data quality in the UK and other countries. The results will improve the understanding of who does and who does not respond in online surveys and which groups of respondents choose different devices and hence will inform the efforts of survey practitioners to increase response rates and to reduce survey errors and costs. The project will directly benefit statistical survey agencies and survey practitioners from a wide range of sectors, including government and the public sector, the private and voluntary sector, and market research companies. It will also advise researchers on how best to incorporate different devices data into advanced statistical models. The project will provide recommendations to survey practice organisations on which data need to be collected in the future in order to assess data quality of large scale surveys more effectively.The project team will work closely together with a range of statistical agencies and market research companies, both nationally and internationally, to ensure the benefits of this research for survey practice and direct impact of the project findings. Dissemination of the project findings will include peer-reviewed journal articles, presentations at seminars in the non-academic partner institutions and at national and international conferences as well as a short course and an international research symposium among other activities.