Zooniverse questionnaire on motivation and basic psychological needs

This is the questionnaire data associated with the publication "Exploring the Relationship between Basic Psychological Needs and Motivation in Online Citizen Science" in ACM Transcactions on Social Computing. Understanding engagement with and motivations to contribute to online citizen science projects can improve user experience and aid in attracting and retaining users. This paper proposes that the fundamental grounding of self-determination theory, being the satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs, is a fruitful lens through which to understand experiences and motivation to take part in online citizen science. Using an online survey, this paper explores how volunteers in online citizen science experience satisfaction and dissatisfaction of needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and how this relates to both their behaviour and motivations to take part. Results suggest that participation in online citizen science on the Zooniverse relates primarily to the satisfaction than dissatisfaction of needs, suggesting that taking part is psychologically beneficial to volunteers. Autonomy is the most supported need and relatedness the least. Whilst results are positive, we observe that measures of need satisfaction must be contextually relevant, especially given the complex nature of autonomy in online citizen science, to aid in further understanding of these relationships. Potential factors related to participation in the Zooniverse that could be enhanced to increase volunteer satisfaction and retention are discussed.