An Iranian Experience of Internet Surveys

ABSTRACT

A web survey with a self-selected sample is compared with a face-to-face survey with a probability sample. Both of these surveys consist of a rather similar questionnaire that requests a vote on a TV program. The findings show that a big concern with the web survey is item non-responses while the face-to-face survey has less problems in this regards. The respondents of the web survey consist of male single and young persons. Most participants in this survey are interested watchers of the TV program. In addition, advertisements appreciably have a positive effect on participation in the web survey.

KEYWORDS:

• Advertisements
• bias
• convenience sample
• internet
• Iran
• item non-response
• survey research

Notes

∗The 24 questions were selected from the face-to-face questionnaire except for 7 open-ended questions.

∗∗Out of these 6 questions, 5 questions were the same as questions of the face-to-face questionnaire, but one question was related to respondent's place of residence.

∗Advertising was used for these three days.

∗The face-to-face questionnaire with a few changes was used for the web survey.

∗∗A four-page questionnaire.

∗∗∗There were 65 interviewers to field the face-to-face survey.

∗∗∗∗2 coders and 2 data-entry persons.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ali-Reza Khoshgooyanfard

Ali-Reza Khoshgooyanfard is affiliated with the Research Center (RC), Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), PO Box 19395-4748, 2nd floor, Jame-e-jam Building, Hotel Esteghlal Street, Vali-e-Asr Avenue, Tehran, Iran (E-mail: [email protected]).