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The Effect of Question Positioning on Data Quality in Web Surveys
[journal article]
Abstract The quality of data in surveys is affected by response burden and questionnaire length. With an increasing number of questions, respondents can become bored, tired, and annoyed and may take shortcuts to reduce the effort needed to complete the survey. In this article, direct evidence is presented on... view more
The quality of data in surveys is affected by response burden and questionnaire length. With an increasing number of questions, respondents can become bored, tired, and annoyed and may take shortcuts to reduce the effort needed to complete the survey. In this article, direct evidence is presented on how the position of items within a web questionnaire influences respondents’ focus of attention. In two experiments, part of an eye-tracking study and an online survey, respectively, a variety of indicators show that data quality is lower if the experimental question is positioned at the end rather than at the beginning of a questionnaire. Practical implications are discussed.... view less
Keywords
data capture; data quality; online survey; questionnaire; response behavior; survey research
Classification
Methods and Techniques of Data Collection and Data Analysis, Statistical Methods, Computer Methods
Free Keywords
question positioning; response bias
Document language
English
Publication Year
2024
Page/Pages
p. 279-295
Journal
Sociological Methods & Research, 53 (2024) 1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124120986207
ISSN
1552-8294
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications