This study investigates the relation between leisure activities and the social status of the elderly based on a heterogeneous sample of the Dutch population. Close relationships are also analyzed to identify which people could serve as successful stimulators of leisure participation. The social profile confirms that older people have fewer social contacts and often feel lonely. This study shows that leisure activities explain a significant part of older people’s social connectedness. Voluntary work, cultural activities, holiday, sports, reading books, hobbies and shopping are found to be successful predictors for social connectedness of older people. Watching TV, listening to the radio, and spending time behind the computer (passive activities) were not associated with social connectedness. Friends correlate positively to participation in leisure activities. Partners play a role in participation in cultural activities and sports; parents play a role in participation in voluntary work and holidays; siblings play a role in voluntary work and sports; and children play a role in cultural activities, reading books, and shopping. Local communities can use these close relationships and develop special programs to increase social connectedness and hence improve quality of life for older adults.

No abstract

No abstract

This article reports from a pilot study that was conducted in a probability-based online panel in the Netherlands. Two parallel surveys were conducted: one in the traditional questionnaire layout of the panel and the other optimized for mobile completion with new software that uses a responsive design (optimizes the layout for the device chosen). The latter questionnaire was optimized for mobile completion, and respondents could choose whether they wanted to complete the survey on their mobile phone or on a regular desktop. Results show that a substantive number of respondents (57%) used their mobile phone for survey completion. No differences were found between mobile and desktop users with regard to break offs, item nonresponse, time to complete the survey, or response effects such as length of answers to an open-ended question and the number of responses in a check-all-that-apply question. A considerable number of respondents gave permission to record their GPS coordinates, which are helpful in defining where the survey was taken. Income, household size, and household composition were found to predict mobile completion. In addition, younger respondents, who typically form a hard-to-reach group, show higher mobile completion rates.

The consideration of future consequences (CFC) scale is designed to measure whether individuals consider the future implications of their current actions. The CFC Scale was administered in 11 waves to a heterogeneous panel, designed to be representative of the Dutch population aged 16 and over. To empirically validate the CFC Scale in a non-academic longitudinal setting, this paper examines internal consistency, stability, and underlying factors of the CFC construct. In addition, effects of personal characteristics, individual changes over time, and learning effects are taken into account. The CFC Scale is found to have an acceptable internal consistency. It is a changeable construct over the years, though it may remain stable over the course of a single year. Education has a significant effect on CFC. No evidence was found that re-interviewing affected responses to the CFC Scale.

Respondents in an Internet panel survey can often choose which device they use to complete questionnaires: a traditional PC, laptop, tablet computer or a smartphone. Because all these devices have different screen sizes and modes of data-entry, measurement errors may differ between devices. Using data from the Dutch LISS panel, we evaluate which devices respondents use over time. We study the measurement error associated with each device, and show that measurement errors are larger on tablets and smartphone than on PCs. To gain insight into the causes of these differences, we study changes in measurement error over time, associated with a switch of devices over two consecutive waves of the panel. We show that within individuals, measurement errors do not change with a switch in device. Therefore, we conclude that the higher measurement error in tablets and smartphones is associated with self-selection of the sample into using a particular device.

The growing smartphone penetration and the integration of smartphones into people’s everyday practices offer researchers opportunities to augment survey measurement with smartphone-sensor measurement or to replace self-reports. Potential benefits include lower measurement error, a widening of research questions, collection of in situ data, and a lowered respondent burden. However, privacy considerations and other concerns may lead to nonparticipation. To date, little is known about the mechanisms of willingness to share sensor data by the general population, and no evidence is available concerning the stability of willingness. The present study focuses on survey respondents’ willingness to share data collected using smartphone sensors (GPS, camera, and wearables) in a probability-based online panel of the general population of the Netherlands. A randomized experiment varied study sponsor, framing of the request, the emphasis on control over the data collection process, and assurance of privacy and confidentiality. Respondents were asked repeatedly about their willingness to share the data collected using smartphone sensors, with varying periods before the second request. Willingness to participate in sensor-based data collection varied by the type of sensor, study sponsor, order of the request, respondent’s familiarity with the device, previous experience with participating in research involving smartphone sensors, and privacy concerns. Willingness increased when respondents were asked repeatedly and varied by sensor and task. The timing of the repeated request, one month or six months after the initial request, did not have a significant effect on willingness.

Nonparametric tests of panel conditioning and attrition bias in panel surveysDas, J.W.M.; van Soest, A.H.O.; Toepoel, V.