@GenPopWeb
Using the web to survey the UK general
population
ESRA conference, Ljubljana, July 2013
What is
@GenPopWeb?
@GenPopWeb
 A network to explore how the web can be used to
survey the UK general population
 Purpose is to exchange knowledge, generate new
thinking and work towards resolving the challenge
 One year grant funded by the National Centre for
Research Methods
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@GenPopWeb
Organising team:
 Gerry Nicolaas, NatCen Social Research
 Peter Lynn, ISER
 Lisa Calderwood, CLS
 Caroline Roberts, UNIL
UK Core Group:
 Survey organisations
 Universities running grant funded social surveys
 Academic grant funding bodies (ESRC, NCRM)
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Focus of the network
 General population
 Large scale social surveys
 Complex measures and high quality data
 New surveys as well as existing surveys
 Cross-sectional surveys as well as longitudinal surveys
 Web as stand-alone mode or in mixed mode design
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Activities in 2013
Opening Conference
(Feb)
Catalyse problem solving
& new thinking
Map out what we know, debate key issues,
identify questions to be answered
Second conference
(Jun)
3 full sessions!
ESRA conference
(Jul)
Summary
Research agenda
Recommendations for infrastructure
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Final report
(Dec)
Main headlines
from opening
conference
Opening conference
Presentations on 3 themes
 Coverage and sampling:
Peter Lynn, Mario Callegaro, Doug Rivers, Louise Morris
 Participation and engagement:
Caroline Roberts, Annette Scherpenzeel, Annemieke Luiten, Jon Puleston
 Measurement challenges:
Lisa Calderwood, Tina Glasner, Peter Lugtig, Mick Couper
Workshop with speakers and UK Core group
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@GenPopWeb website
www.natcen.ac.uk/genpopweb/index.htm
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Sampling and coverage
Dependency on Postcode
Address File as a sampling frame
A main barrier to using
web is selection bias
Can we enhance address
sampling frames with
commercial data?
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1st mode of contact
cannot be web
Digital divide
Multiple modes of data
collection needed
Participation and engagement
A main barrier to using
web is low level of
participation
10
We need to know more
about the participant
experience in web
Measurement issues
Measurement is an
issue but not a barrier
Mobile web
11
Are we looking to
replicate or improve?
Can we correct for
measurement differences using
experiments, parallel runs, etc?
Two distinct issues highlighted:
How to use web in
cross-sectional
surveys of UK general
population?
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Does the UK need a
probability-based web
panel?
Main
conclusions
from June
workshop
2-day workshop in June
Focus on two key areas:
 Web data collection for x-sectional surveys of UK general pop
 A probability-based web panel for the UK
Format of workshop:
 Presentations
 Panel discussions
 Open workshop discussions
14
Cross-sectional surveys of UK general population
Web unlikely to be used as a standalone mode but mixed mode design
worth exploring further
Getting respondents to go
online when contacting
them in a different mode
Clients’ tolerance for
error versus cost
15
Rethink how we design &
conduct surveys
Respondent selection
or whole households
Cost savings
are marginal
Measurement effects
& selection effects
A probability-based web panel for the UK
Random probability sample:
 Fresh sample of addresses
 Piggy-back on existing RPS surveys
Panel recruitment:
 Face-to-face
 Incentives
Coverage of offline households:
 Provide hardware and broadband
 Other mode
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A probability-based web panel for the UK
Is this the web solution
for cross-sectional &
longitudinal surveys?
How can it be funded to
ensure long-term
sustainability?
No commercial incentive to
invest in prob-based web panel
Is there an unmet
demand/need for this?
Does web mean mobile?
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Next steps
Main issues for the UK (and elsewhere?)
 Dependency on address file for sampling – enhancement?
 Using web in cross-sectional surveys - could we & should we?
 Are probability-based mobile web panels the solution for both
cross-sectional and longitudinal data collection in the UK?
 Need to rethink how we design surveys
 Clients’ tolerance for error versus cost
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Next steps
Online outputs
UK Core Group
WebDataNet
Final report
Twitter feed
Synthesis papers
Presentations
Event reports
Discuss research
agenda and
recommendations
GenPopWeb will
become a
WebDataNet Task
Force
Research agenda &
recommendations to
facilitate transition to
web data collection
December
Now
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September
September
Thank you
For further info
Email [email protected]
Go to the website
http://www.natcen.ac.uk/genpopweb/index.htm
Follow @GenPopWeb