Filling the Void: Gaining a Better Understanding of Tablet-Based Surveys

Abstract

“Survey respondents are increasingly attempting to take surveys on their mobile devices, whether researchers intend for this or not” (Cazes et al. 2011, p. 2). Approximately 50 percent of US adults own a smartphone (Nielsen 2012; Smith 2012), and approximately 20 percent of US adults own a tablet (Rainie 2012). These trends have serious implications for online surveys, especially for online surveys that are designed specifically for a computer screen and not modified, or optimized, for the smaller screen typical of a mobile device. In this paper, we present results from tablet, computer, and smartphone administrations of a survey. For each, we examine three measures of survey taking behavior. Our main focus is on surveys taken with tablets and whether tablet survey administration is comparable to computer survey administration. Our results are preliminary, but instructive, since there is currently very little research on tablet administration of online surveys. However, with tablet ownership on the rise, understanding the effects of this survey mode will become exceedingly more important. Just as tablets have served to fill the void between the often difficult-to-read smartphone screen and the difficult-to-transport computer, tablets can also fill the void for mobile survey takers.