Research Accompanying the Terminal Text Field Experiment in Duesseldorf/Neuss (Primary Measurement)

Type and extent of use of terminal text. Judgement on terminal text
offerings.

The survey took place by means of the following instruments:

1. Household questionnaire,

2. Personal questionnaire,

3. Recordings of BTX use and

4. Survey of subsamples on 6 different content topics on terminal text.

Topics: 1. Household questionnaire: size of household; location of the
terminal text device; number and technical features of further
television sets; telephone charges before and since using terminal
text; number and main focus of use of telephones in household; problems
in acquisition, installation and with the technology of the terminal
text device; reasons for further use or non-use of terminal text after
conclusion of the field experiment; available and desired features of
the BTX device. Interviewer rating: housing conditions; residential
surroundings; distance to downtown Duesseldorf; date of first
interviewer visit; date agreed on for the interview; statement of
consent of respondent for linking all parts of the survey.

2. Personal questionnaire: intensity of use and interest in use of
terminal text offerings; detailed evaluation and recording of frequency
of use of BTX offerings; general satisfaction with legibility as well
as structuring of the entire BTX offering; positive and disturbing
characteristics of the terminal text offering; preferred search
strategy; general attitude to use of terminal text (scale); judgement
on page charges; type and extent of use of teletext; comparison of
selected terminal text and teletext offerings.

3. Record of every single terminal text use for the time interval of 7
days (maximum 20 uses, however): reasons to start use of BTX; type of
BTX offerings used; result of a deliberate search for information;
satisfaction with use; presence of further persons during this BTX use.

4. 6 survey waves (staggered over time) with subsamples of field of
participants (altogether 906 households) always with the same standard
part (see personal questionnaire) and questions on the following
specific topics (thus for each subsample only one of the following
survey waves):

a) BTX as information medium: type, extent and
evaluation of information and news offerings used; advantages and
disadvantages of BTX information offerings in comparison with other
sources of information; service and advice information used as well as
technical information and reference works before introduction of
terminal text and along with use of terminal text; preferred sources of
information; difficulties in finding information; frequency of
information lead from BTX use compared with friends and acquaintances;
expected development of BTX information offerings in the future;
changes in media usage since use of BTX; desired improvements; conduct
on reception of incorrect information; familiarity of the codeword
(password) among members of the household.

b) BTX as advertising provider: frequency of use of various BTX
offerings; judgement on abundance of offerings; information frequency
and sources of information about product and service offerings of
companies, associations and public institutions; attitude to
advertising in BTX (scale); judgement on a BTX page for its information
and advertising content as well as usefulness; attitude to required
identification of advertising; preferred distribution of costs of
updating information offerings; password familiarity in one´s family.

c) BTX as sales channel: frequency of use of various BTX offerings;
use of information offerings of the local retail trade; obtaining
offerings and product information about durable consumer goods for the
purpose of acquisition; assessment of substitution of product test
magazines by BTX; possession of a mail-order catalog and ordering
products directly from the catalog via BTX; change of one´s purchase
frequency with mail-order companies since BTX use; assessment of
complexity of mail-order ordering via BTX; taking care of bank business
via BTX and problems perceived in this; bank business that one would
not take care of via BTX; importance of BTX offerings of commercial
tour operators as well as public transportation companies; conduct in
booking business and private trips; expected meaning of selected BTX
information offerings after nation-wide introduction; use of BTX
offerings with costs; desire for expansion of offerings; attitude to
shopping via BTX (scale); BTX orders not delivered; judgement on
selected parts of information on a BTX page; password familiarity in
one´s family.

d) BTX as entertainment medium: frequency of use of various BTX
offerings; preference and frequency of leisure activities; changes in
one´s own media usage and organization of leisure time since BTX use;
frequency of BTX use along with family members or friends; conversation
about BTX; use of BTX as leisure activity (scale); occasions for one´s
own use of the BTX communication service; password familiarity in one´s
family.

e) BTX in one´s family: supporter and opponent of BTX acquisition
within family; use habits of terminal text through restrictive
administration of the codeword (password); occasions and course of a
common BTX use; reasons for solitary BTX use; other activities during
BTX use; perceived changes in one´s family from BTX; BTX as decision
aid; cost consciousness in BTX use; conflicts in use of the television
set as terminal text device as well as through occupying the telephone;
BTX use and television habits of children.

In form of a written survey the following was entered in a booklet to
be filled out: persons with a particular technical interest in one´s
family as well as with the best knowledge about BTX; person conducting
the most business with BTX and reasons for this; manner of distribution
of tasks between the spouses and possible changes since use of BTX.

f) BTX and individual problems such as e.g. legal questions,
communication service etc.; assessment of reliability of BTX
information; legal knowledge at completing contract for BTX;
significance of advance notice of the retrieval fees for individual BTX
pages; attitude to recording personal data through BTX participation on
the part of the Post Office as well as the BTX supplier; perception of
data protection problems in connection with BTX; frequency of use and
occasions for use of the BTX communication service; attitude to the
communication service (scale); possibility of substitution by the BTX
communication service; use of the BTX system telephone book; leisure
activities; information and impulses from BTX for further leisure
activities; use of notices of events as well as BTX information from
public institutions and government offices; relief for contact with
authorities through BTX; dealing with reference works and books for
professional reasons; judgement on occupational usability of BTX
(scale).

Demography: age; sex; school education; occupational position;
employment; household size; household composition; residential status;
degree of urbanization; possession of television.