Using Interactive Features to Motivate and Probe Responses to Open-Ended Questions (LISS Core Study)

The project explores how interactive features in web surveys can influence respondent behavior.In August 2008, the LISS panel was presented a questionnaire on the effect of including motivational statements and follow-up probes on response length and response quality of the responses to open-ended questions. The questionnaire included four open-ended questions and several closed-ended questions about the current situation in Dutch society. Respondents to the internet survey were randomly assigned to one of the four versions of the open-ended questions. The control version simply displayed the open-ended question; no motivating statement was included with the question and respondents were not branched to a follow-up probe. In the second version the open-ended question included the motivational statement ‘This question is very important to our survey’, but similar to the control version, respondents were not asked a follow-up probe. In the third version respondents were asked the open-ended question and after they submitted their initial response, they were branched to a follow-up probe screen. This screen displayed the respondent’s answer to the initial open-ended question and a follow-up probe (e.g., ‘Is there anything else you would like to add?’). Respondents to the fourth version were also asked the initial open-ended question and then branched to a follow-up probe with a motivational statement. In addition, people who did not answer the initial open-ended question (or who provided an answer like ‘don’t know’ or other answers that were less than four characters) were routed to a nonrespondent version that displayed the text ‘Please provide a response. This question is very important to our survey” and repeated the open-ended question.

本项目探究网络调查问卷中的交互特性如何影响受访者行为。2008年8月，LISS面板（LISS panel）参与了一项针对在问卷中加入激励性说明与后续追问，对开放式问题作答时长及作答质量影响的调研。本次问卷包含四道开放式问题与若干道关于荷兰社会当前现状的封闭式问题。该网络调查的受访者被随机分配至四种开放式问题版本之一。对照组仅展示开放式问题，未附加任何激励性说明，且未触发后续追问环节。第二个版本的开放式问题附加了"本题对本次调研至关重要"的激励性说明，但与对照组相同，未设置后续追问。第三个版本中，受访者需先作答开放式问题，提交初始作答内容后，将跳转至后续追问页面；该页面会展示受访者的初始作答内容，并附带追问提示，例如"是否还有其他补充内容？"。第四组受访者同样需先完成初始开放式问题作答，随后跳转至带有激励性说明的后续追问环节。此外，未作答初始开放式问题（或提交"不知道"等字符数少于4的简短作答）的受访者，将被引导至非应答者专属页面，显示文本"请提供作答内容。本题对本次调研至关重要"，并重新展示该开放式问题。