Going web or staying paper? The use of web-surveys among older people

Abstract

Background: Web-surveys are increasingly used in population studies. Yet, web-surveys targeting older individuals are still uncommon for various reasons. However, with younger cohorts approaching older age, the potentials for web-surveys among older people might be improved. In this study, we investigated response patterns in a web-survey targeting older adults and the potential importance of offering a paper questionnaire as an alternative to the web questionnaire. Methods: We analyzed data from three waves of a retirement study, in which a web-push methodology was used and a paper questionnaire was offered as an alternative to the web questionnaire in the last reminder. We mapped the response patterns, compared web- and paper respondents and compared different key outcomes resulting from the sample with and without the paper respondents, both at baseline and after two follow-ups. Results: Paper-respondents, that is, those that did not answer until they got a paper questionnaire with the last reminder, were more likely to be women, low educated, fully retired, non-married and reported higher depression and lower self-rated health, compared with web-respondents. The association between retirement status and depression was only present among web-respondents. The differences between web and paper respondents were stronger in the longitudinal sample (after two follow-ups) than at baseline. Conclusions: We conclude that a web survey might be a feasible and good alternative in surveys targeting people in the retirement age range. However, without offering a paper questionnaire, a small but important group will likely be missing with potential biased estimates as the result.

A Multi-Site Analysis of the Prevalence of Food Insecurity in the United States, before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Although there are many studies that have utilized the USDA food security module in an online format (e.g. 61–63 ), this potentially introduced a barrier for some (though not all) elderly or low-income potential respondents ( 64 , 65 ), as well as those living in rural areas without reliable Internet ( 66 ). Additionally, there have been some studies that show differences in respondent affirmations of food insecurity questions, depending on whether questionnaires are administered online or in person.…”

Health Literacy and Appropriateness of Self‐Care and Pain Management in Osteoarthritis: An Understanding of the Patient's Perspective

“…The main weakness of the study is the potential for bias from the online survey methodology. Inclusion of participants age >75 years in online surveys is limited, and available data suggest an increased potential for excluding participants with lower education, lower self-reported health status, and lower socioeconomic status in this age group (45,46). Although age was capped at 74 years to account for lower internet use among older Australians (47), this may not have had significant impact on the study results overall given that registry data from Europe suggest a peak in the incidence of OA at around the age of 75 years (1).…”

The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on older adults’ loneliness: Evidence from high-frequency panel data in Austria

“…Second, loneliness was measured with a direct, single item: Although frequently used and often highly correlated with established multiple-item scales, single items are less reliable and may lead to underestimation due to the negative connotations of the term ‘loneliness.’ Third, it is unlikely that the sample is representative for the population of older adults with regard to loneliness. Older adults, particularly the oldest old and institutionalized individuals, and those with a low level of education – all of which are more likely to be lonely (Cudjoe et al, 2020; Steptoe et al, 2013), particularly during the current pandemic – are difficult to recruit for online interviews (Kelfve et al, 2020). Despite the use of demographic weights, these limitations likely resulted in an underestimation of the prevalence of loneliness, which may also down-bias our SI effect estimates.…”

“…Third, it is unlikely that the quota sample of the current study is truely representative for the population of the general older population in Austria with regard to loneliness – a problem that plagues a large proportion of the current research on this topic[39]. Older adults, particularly the oldest old and institutionalized individuals, and those with a low level of education – all of which are more likely to be lonely[7,29,30], particularly during the current pandemic – are difficult to recruit for online interviews[40]. Despite the use of demographic weights, these limitations likely resulted in an underestimation of the prevalence of loneliness, which may, in consequence, also down-bias our effect estimates on loneliness.…”