Jessica M. E. Herzing

• Dr. rer. soc.
• University of Bern

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is now an integral part of many occupational task profiles. Therefore, like mathematics and science, ICT represent an important content domain that adolescents may consider in their early vocational choices. Drawing on Eccles’ situated expectancy value theory and related theories, we hypot...

Unlike traditional large-scale assessments, computer-based assessments collect process data that provide information about test-takers actions in the assessment platform while solving test items, for example, response and reaction times, number of clicks, and skipping. In computer-based assessments in multilingual contexts, the comparability of tes...

Survey respondents can complete web surveys using different Internet-enabled devices (PCs versus mobile phones and tablets) and using different software (web browser versus a mobile software application, “app”). Previous research has found that completing questionnaires via a browser on mobile devices can lead to higher breakoff rates and reduced m...

Even though the proportion of individuals who are not equipped to participate in online surveys is constantly decreasing, many surveys face an under-representation of individuals who do not feel IT literate enough to participate. Using experimental data from a probability-based online panel, we study which recruitment survey mode strategy performs...

Despite its importance in terms of survey participation, the literature is sparse on how face-to-face interviewers differentially affect specific groups of sample units. This paper demonstrates how an alternative parametrization of the random components in multilevel models, so-called separate coding, delivers valuable insights into differential in...

Smartphones present many interesting opportunities for survey research, particularly through the use of mobile data collection applications (apps). There is still much to learn, however, about how to integrate apps in general population surveys. Recent studies investigating hypothetical willingness to complete mobile data collection tasks via an ap...

In recent years, an increasing number of online panel participants respond to surveys on smartphones. As a result, survey practitioners are faced with a difficult decision: Either they hold the questionnaire design constant over time and thus stay with the original desktop-optimized design; or they switch to a smartphone-optimized format and thus a...

This guide focuses on the data preparation phase, which starts after data collection and ends before their analysis. This first assessment of the "raw" survey data is crucial since data preparation can affect the quality of the data in a positive or negative way. After an overview of the different types of errors, the guide discusses the remedies a...

R-indicators are increasingly used as nonresponse bias indicators. However, their effectiveness depends on the auxiliary data used in their estimation. Because of this, it is not always clear for practitioners what the magnitude of the R-indicator implies for bias in other survey variables, or how adjustment on auxiliary variables will affect it. I...

This study aims to address the questionnaire design challenges in cases wherein questions involve a large number of response options. Traditionally, these long-list questions are asked in open-ended or closed-ended formats. However, alternative interface design options are emerging in computer-assisted surveys that combine both interface designs. T...

Longitudinal or panel surveys suffer from panel attrition which may result in biased estimates. Online panels are no exceptions to this phenomenon, but offer great possibilities in monitoring and managing the data-collection phase and response-enhancement features (such as reminders), due to real-time availability of paradata. This paper presents a...

This FORS guide discusses the effect of incentives on survey completion/response rate, sample composition, and response quality. The guide particularly emphasizes the effects of different types of incentives-conditional vs. unconditional, monetary vs. non-monetary-for encouraging survey participation and reducing panel survey attrition in the Swiss...

This guide is for survey practitioners who want to collect information on national minorities. The guide addresses the main concerns with surveying national minorities, points out particularities in Switzerland, and gives some practical recommendations for survey practitioners.

To enhance response among underrepresented groups and hence, to increase response rates and to decrease potential nonresponse bias survey practitioners often use interviewers in population surveys (Heerwegh, 2009). While interviewers tend to increase overall response rates in surveys (see Heerwegh, 2009), research on the determinants of nonresponse...

This guide is for survey practitioners who want to conduct web surveys considering mobile devices or a mobile-only web survey. The guide points out different strategies on how to handle multiple devices and specifically mobile devices in web surveys with regard to web survey design and data quality. Furthermore, it addresses issues of questionnaire...

Research has shown that the non-Internet population is hesitant to respond to online survey requests. However, also subgroups in the Internet population with low digital affinity may hesitate to respond to online surveys. This latter issue has not yet received much attention by scholars despite its potentially detrimental effects on the external va...

Onlineumfragen haben für die sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung in den vergangen Jahren zunehmend an Bedeutung gewonnen, nicht zuletzt wegen der Möglichkeit, viele Personen innerhalb kurzer Zeit kosteneffizient befragen zu können. Im Vergleich zu interviewer-administrierten Befragungen haben Onlineinterviews aufgrund der selbst-administrierten Befra...

Web surveys have become a popular method of data gathering for many reasons, including low costs and the ability to collect data rapidly. Due to the rapid infusion of web surveys and the technological progress, the number of respondents filling out web surveys on the run using mobile devices increases. When answering survey questions on mobile devi...

The past decade has seen a rise in the use of online panels for conducting survey research. However, the popularity of online panels, largely driven by relatively low implementation costs and high rates of Internet penetration, has been met with criticisms regarding their ability to accurately represent their intended target populations. This criti...