Open AccessComparing the Response Burden between Paper and Web Modes in Establishment Surveys
Author(s) -
GeorgChristoph Haas,
Stephanie Eckman,
Ruben L. Bach
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of official statistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.605
H-Index - 24
eISSN - 2001-7367
pISSN - 0282-423X
DOI - 10.2478/jos-2021-0039
Subject(s) - web survey , mode (computer interface) , mixed mode , web application , survey research , computer science , psychology , response time , world wide web , survey data collection , econometrics , statistics , applied psychology , mathematics , human–computer interaction , materials science , computer graphics (images) , composite material
Previous research is inconclusive regarding the effects of paper and web surveys on response burdens. We conducted an establishment survey with random assignment to paper and web modes to examine this issue. We compare how the actual and perceived response burdens differ when respondents complete a survey in the paper mode, in the web mode and when they are allowed to choose between the two modes. Our results show that in the web mode, respondents have a lower estimated time to complete the questionnaire, while we do not find differences between paper and the web on the perceived response time and perceived burden. Even though the response burden in the web mode is lower, our study finds no evidence of an increased response burden when moving an establishment survey from paper to the web.