Forthcoming in The Encyclopedia of Measurement. With R. Michael Alvarez.
Most recent version: Sept. 14, 2002
Abstract:
The World Wide Web (WWW) or Internet has recently been recognized as a valuable instrument for conducting surveys (Dillman 2000). Low costs, rapid turn around, access to a vast geographically diverse pool of potential respondents, and the ability to present complex graphical material make the Web appealing as a new survey mode. While this new survey mode may offer many opportunities, its strengths and weaknesses are still being studied. As the Internet develops --- especially as Internet access widens to include a more representative cross-section of the adult population --- the applications for Web-based surveying are likely to flourish. The future of Web-based surveys will undoubtedly be hotly debated but an understanding of the fundamentals of Internet surveying is a prerequisite for such a debate.