Web surveying academics in six European countries

Abstract

The WWW is increasingly used as a tool and platform for survey research. Several principles have been developed to deal with the new challenges posed to researchers conducting online surveys. In this paper, we discuss some of the challenges we encountered in all phases of our Web based survey conducted in 2004/2005 among nearly 10,000 respondents in six European countries. We argue how and to what extent we applied the principles and methodologies of online surveys to meet the challenges, ranging from composing sampling frames, questionnaire construction, addressing potential respondents, questionnaire distribution, response rate improvement, to data cleaning and data processing. When relevant, we discuss the differences between the six countries involved. It is concluded that many if not most of the problems encountered in online surveys are solved when taking into account the principles that guide the conduct of conventional surveys.

Communicating Employability Enhancement Throughout the Life-Span: A National Intervention Program Aimed at Combating Age-Related Stereotypes at the Workplace

“…We expect to establish these effects relatively shortly after the interventions' implementation (t = 1). Therefore, a survey will be administered among a representative sample of employees (see, for instance, Smeenk, Van Selm, & Eisinga, 2008). Survey results (t = 1) will be compared with the self-test inventory outcomes generated by the intervention itself (t = 0).…”