How web-push surveys are changing survey methodology

Web-push surveys that start with a postal request to respond over the Internet, with follow-up requests for non-responders to answer by mail, phone or in-person, are rapidly replacing interview only surveys in countries throughout the world.  This trend is encouraged by the development of address-based sampling that provides improved household coverage. It is further encouraged by research findings that show mixed-mode designs can produce higher response rates at lower costs. This presentation will describe the reasons for the increased use of web-push methods, followed by a discussion of the significant new challenges that web-push methods present to survey methodologists, drawing examples from countries throughout the world.

Don A. Dillman is Regents Professor of Sociology at Washington State University, (Pullman, Washington, U.S.A.), where for the last ten years he has conducted extensive research on the development and use of web-push methodologies. His well-known text, now in its 4^th edition (Internet, Phone, Mail and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method, with Jolene Smyth and Leah Christian, 2014) has provided guidance for designing probability surveys for nearly 40 years.  Dillman served as the Senior Survey Methodologist at the U.S. Bureau of the Census from 1991-1995, received the 2000 Roger Herriot Award for Innovation in Federal Statistics, and was the 2001-2002 President of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.