What happens if you offer a mobile option to your web panel? Evidence From a probability-based panel of Internet users

Summary

This article reports from a pilot study that was conducted in a
probability-based online panel in the Netherlands. Two parallel
surveys were conducted: one in the traditional
questionnaire layout of the panel and the other optimized for mobile
completion
with new software that uses a responsive design
(optimizes the layout for the device chosen). The latter questionnaire
was
optimized for mobile completion, and respondents
could choose whether they wanted to complete the survey on their mobile
phone
or on a regular desktop. Results show that a
substantive number of respondents (57%) used their mobile phone for
survey completion.
No differences were found between mobile and
desktop users with regard to break offs, item nonresponse, time to
complete the
survey, or response effects such as length of
answers to an open-ended question and the number of responses in a
check-all-that-apply
question. A considerable number of respondents gave
permission to record their GPS coordinates, which are helpful in
defining
where the survey was taken. Income, household size,
and household composition were found to predict mobile completion. In
addition, younger respondents, who typically form a
hard-to-reach group, show higher mobile completion rates.