Being Mobile: How the Usage of Mobile Devices Affects Surveys with Highly Educated Respondents
Bains F, Albert B (2022)
Publication Type: Authored book
Publication year: 2022
Original Authors: Florian Bains, Bruno Albert
Pages Range: 93-120
ISBN: 9783658369200
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-36921-7_5
Abstract
In this article, we examine the effect on data quality of using mobile devices in online surveys with highly educated respondents. Utilising panel data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) student cohort, we employ regression analyses and propensity score matching to estimate the effects of devices while controlling for confounding factors. We find higher item non-response, shorter answers to open-ended questions and longer completion times on smartphones and tablets compared to laptops and PCs. Using the difference-in-difference estimator for respondents who switched devices between two waves of the panel, we further assess whether the effects we find can be attributed to the devices or to the individual characteristics or situation of the respondent. We find that switching from PCs to mobile devices is associated with a decline in data quality, while switching from mobile devices to PCs is associated with an improvement in data quality. We find that differences in data quality between mobile devices and PCs are, at least partly, associated with features of the device used. We thus conclude that data quality is influenced by a combination of the characteristics of devices and of the participants who chose those devices.
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Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Bains, F., & Albert, B. (2022). Being Mobile: How the Usage of Mobile Devices Affects Surveys with Highly Educated Respondents.
MLA:
Bains, Florian, and Bruno Albert. Being Mobile: How the Usage of Mobile Devices Affects Surveys with Highly Educated Respondents. 2022.
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