The European Social Survey (ESS) is the largest European Research Infrastructure in the social sciences. Historically, the survey has been carried out every two years in about 30 countries using face-to-face interviewing. The ESS is moving to self-completion (combination of web and paper) as the interview mode. In 2023-2024 I did consulting work for the ESS, and since 2025 I am a member of the Core Scientific Team, being responsible for work around the mixed-mode transition. In particular I focus on the analysis of mode nonresponse and mode measurement effects, and will produce training and guidance for ESS users on how to use the mixed-mode data in practice.
The 'WIN' project was set up in 2016 and had the goal to design and test innovative data collection strategies in social research. WIN stands for 'Waarneem Innovatie Netwerk', which in english means 'Data collection Innovation Network. The project was set up as a collaborative project between the data quality group at Utrecht University, and Statistics Netherlands. The focus of the project was on how to use mobile phones and wearable devices to improve the collection of human behavior data, and improve official statistics. We have developed our own open-source smartphone app system, and published many articles. The project was finished after 10 successful years in 2025.
Nonresponse in surveys is particularly problematic among young people in both cross-sectional and panel studies. This article investigates the factors driving lower participation rates among young people in longitudinal surveys. We study whether …
Rising survey costs, increasing internet usage, and restrictions during the pandemic have accelerated a shift from face-to-face (CAPI) to web-based interviews (CAWI). This paper analyses the consequences of this shift for the comparability of …
Currently, travel surveys are the standard method for measuring mobility in official statistics. Nonresponse and measurement are problematic in travel surveys, due to the high burden and non-centrality of the requested information. To overcome these …
My breaks between posts are getting longer and longer. Sorry my dear readers. Today, I am writing about research done over a year ago that I did with Vera Toepoel and Alerk Amin. Our study was about a group of respondents we can no longer ignore: Mobile-only web survey respondents. These are people, who do no longer use a laptop or desktop PC and use their smartphone for most or any of their Internet browsing, but instead use a smartphone.
Studies into the correlates of nonresponse often have to rely on socio-demographic variables to study whether respondents and nonrespondents in surveys differ. Often there is no other information available on sampling frames that researchers can use.
That is unfortunate, for two reasons. First, the variables we are currently using to predict nonrespons, usually explain a very limited amount of variance of survey nonresponse. Therefore, these variables are also not effective correctors for nonresponse.
Gerry Nicolaas (of Natcen) has just written a good review on the nonresponse workshop we both attended this year. See http://natcenblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/challenges-to-current-practice-of.html#comment-form The Nonresponse Workshops are a great place to meet and discuss with survey researchers in a small setting. The next workshop is to be held early september 2012 at Statistics Canada. See www.nonresponse.org