 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
May 22, 2008
Abt SRBI Conducting Landmark National Online Survey Project
Abt SRBI is collaborating with a leading social researcher in a groundbreaking study that could introduce far-reaching changes in the ways in which survey data is collected. The project, the "Abt SRBI National Survey Project," will test the feasibility of creating a rigorous high response-rate online panel recruited through an in-person random national sample.
Abt SRBI is working with Stanford University's Jon Krosnick. Krosnick received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program to determine if social scientists can obtain accurate, high response rates with quick turnaround times at reasonable costs through this specially recruited online panel. Abt SRBI will conduct all recruitment and fieldwork for the project.
The project seeks to overcome significant challenges survey researchers now face. Survey data collection has recently been hampered by declining response rates to telephone surveys. High response rate in-person surveys are very costly and very time-consuming. Online surveys can be conducted cost-efficiently and quickly. However, most current online research is conducted using unrepresentative panels in which respondents opt-in. The project will combine for the first time a high-response rate in-person recruitment using a highly representative address-based national sampling frame with online interviewing.
Statisticians will draw up a representative sample of 1,000 American households based on U.S. Postal Service mailing lists. Abt SRBI research staff then will visit the households, randomly select an adult member, conduct a brief face-to-face interview and offer a free laptop and high-speed connection in exchange for respondents answering a 30-minute, secure Internet survey once a month for 12 months.
If the proposed network is successful, it would allow academic, government and business researchers to share the costs of sample recruitment and maintenance across many projects, thus yielding higher response rates and lower costs. The Federal Office of Management and Budget, which must approve all federal surveys, requires high response rates to obtain government support.
Abt SRBI Senior Vice President, Chintan Turakhia, head of the company's New York Public Policy Group, will lead the survey team. He is being assisted by Ali Ackermann, Vice President Ricki Jarmon, and the rest of Abt SRBI operations staff.
