A Comparison of Survey Implementation Methods for the Waveform and Sonicboom Perception and Response (WSPR) Program

Abstract

As part of a pilot program to measure subjective response to low level sonic booms, 52 residents at Edwards Air Force Base were recruited to answer questions about their reactions to low-amplitude sonic booms. Over a two-week period, participants completed brief surveys (12 items) each time they heard a sonic boom and a short summary form at the end of each day. The study used three modes of survey administration-paper, Web, and Apple mobile device-to support analysis of the effectiveness of different approaches. Previous research on subjective response to sonic booms or other impulsive noise with similar measurement objectives has used in-person surveys, telephone surveys, or computer-assisted self-administered methods similar to a Web survey, but study designs prevented direct comparisons of the methods on the same sample of participants. We examine data quality across the three modes and the paper will present results on completion rates by survey mode, variation in completion rates over time, and differences in the timeliness of response for web and Apple participants. Qualitative interviews with a subset of participants yield further insights into each approach.