Comparing Survey and Diary Measures of Internet and Traditional Media Use

Abstract

Considerable debate exists over the accuracy of self‐reported media use measures. This report compares two methodologies for studying Internet and traditional media use: online surveys and diaries. A study was conducted with undergraduate students from two universities. Participants were asked to (a) complete a survey and (b) keep a diary over the course of one day. Both instruments assessed how frequently they engaged in various media use activities, including television viewing, radio listening, Web surfing, email sending and receiving, music listening, and video game playing. Results indicate that survey estimates of media use are consistently higher than diary use, but both methods are significantly correlated with each other, within a given medium. Given uncertainty about which method is more accurate, a third method of data collection, electronic tracking, is described.