BEST PRACTICES TO CREATE AND IMPLEMENTHIGHLY EFFECTIVE WEB SURVEYS

Exclusively combining design and sampling issues, Handbook of Web Surveys presents a theoretical yet practical approach to creating and conducting web surveys. From the history of web surveys to various modes of data collection to tips for detecting error, this book thoroughly introduces readers to the this cutting-edge technique and offers tips for creating successful web surveys.

The authors provide a history of web surveys and go on to explore the advantages and disadvantages of this mode of data collection. Common challenges involving under-coverage, self-selection, and measurement errors are discussed as well as topics including:

• Sampling designs and estimation procedures

• Comparing web surveys to face-to-face, telephone, and mail surveys

• Errors in web surveys

• Mixed-mode surveys

• Weighting techniques including post-stratification, generalized regression estimation, and raking ratio estimation

• Use of propensity scores to correct bias

• Web panels

Real-world examples illustrate the discussed concepts, methods, and techniques, with related data freely available on the book's Website. Handbook of Web Surveys is an essential reference for researchers in the fields of government, business, economics, and the social sciences who utilize technology to gather, analyze, and draw results from data. It is also a suitable supplement for survey methods courses at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels.

Jelke Bethlehem, PhD, is Senior Advisor in the Department of Statistical Methods at Statistics Netherlands and Professor of Statistical Information Processing at the University of Amsterdam. His current research interests include web surveys, computer-assisted survey information collection, graphical techniques in statistics, and user-friendly software for statistical analysis. He is coeditor of Computer Assisted Survey Information Collection, author of Applied Survey Methods: A Statistical Perspective, and coauthor of Handbook of Nonresponse in Household Surveys, all published by Wiley.

Silvia Biffignandi is Professor of Economic and Business Statistics and Director of the Centre for Statistical Analyses and Survey Interviewing (CASI) at the University of Bergamo (Italy). She currently focuses her research in the areas of web surveys, online panels, and official statistics.