Modular Online Time Use Survey (MOTUS) – Translating an existing method in the 21 st century

Abstract

Time-use surveys are internationally highly valued methods for capturing daily behaviour. Their combination of questionnaires and paper-and-pencil time-diaries (among others in Europe) or telephone interview yesterdaymethod (in USA) through which respondents (re)construct their daily activities (i.e. what and when) together with contextual information (i.e. with whom and where) is both its strength as well as its weakness. This weakness stems from the high (personnel) costs involved in conducting time-use surveys, costs that can largely be reduced by switching to an online method. However, recent experimenting with online time-use surveys a) jeopardizes the hard work of harmonizing international time-use surveys and b) never truly copied or implemented the methodology of the paper-and-pencil time diaries let alone added additional features that improve the 'old' method. After having received a substantial grant we took the challenge to translate this existing method to an online method a) without loosing its strengths, b) with adding additional features that enrich the data even more, and c) with automated processes that reduce personnel and processing costs. In this contribution we a) reveal our method and its modular design and automated processes, b) provide preliminary results of the quality and response of the population pilot study (n invited ≈40,000), c) evaluate our effort, d) challenge others to comment and collaborate on our methodology in order to end up with a (new) standardized methodology for online diary studies that allows cross-national comparisons, and e) reflect on future possibilities and initiatives that serve the imminent online diary methodology.

A autoconfrontação com o próprio tempo como perspectiva analítica no estudo das relações entre o tempo e a saúde

“…In Brazil, Neuma Aguiar, is considered the pioneer in the systematic application of this methodology, when performing the research "Multiple temporalities of reference: analysis of the Uses of Time among domestic groups in the population of Belo Horizonte" [3][4][5] . Studies in the area are based on quizzes on time spent in specific activities or on diaries of time use for the register of time spent in all activities within 24 hours [6][7] .…”

Using New Technologies for Time Diary Data Collection: Instrument Design and Data Quality Findings from a Mixed-Mode Pilot Survey

“…Although new technologies are increasingly used in social survey methodology, there have only been a few attempts to move beyond the traditional paper-and-pencil method employed in time diary surveys (Bonke and Fallesen 2010; Hendriks et al 2016; Minnen et al 2014). This is an important omission for time-use research, given the considerably high cost of time diary administration and data entry in a large-scale survey context (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 2013).…”

“…Second, the administration cost of time diaries is particularly high, partly reflecting the intensive post-fieldwork data preparation process (Minnen et al 2014; United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 2013). These weaknesses could potentially be addressed by the use of new technologies for time diary data collection, which can create more user friendly and less burdensome instruments, and significantly reduce data cleaning and coding costs.…”

“…However, the vast majority of social surveys continue to rely on the traditional paper-and-pencil self-completed time diary instrument (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 2013). Only a few studies have used web diaries to collect time use data, employing question-based approaches that resemble Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (hereafter CAPI) instruments (Bonke and Fallesen 2010; Minnen et al 2014). More recently, there have been attempts to collect time diary data via smartphones (Fernee and Sonck 2014; Hendriks et al 2016; Vrotsou et al 2014).…”

Times Have Changed: Using a Pictorial Smartphone App to Collect Time–Use Data in Rural Zambia

“…However, such time-use diaries are burdensome to fill and the administrative and processing costs are high (Chatzitheochari et al 2017). This has led to calls for better time-use methods, potentially using electronic devices (Chatzitheochari et al 2017;Minnen et al 2014;Paolisso and Hames 2010;Seymour et al 2017).…”