Gamification in Web Surveys

Abstract

To counteract declining response rates and data quality in web surveys, some survey designers have suggested to increase respondent engagement by making web surveys more game-like. Gamification is defined as “the use of game design elements in non-game contexts” (Deterding et al., 2011, p. 2) and “game thinking and game mechanics to engage users and solve problems” (Zichermann & Cunningham, 2011, p. xiv). Web survey gamification can thus be defined as the use of game design elements in web surveys to increase respondent engagement in the survey process. This entry first discusses the general concept of gamification, its elements, and the theoretical foundation for why gamification should have a positive influence on motivation and behavior in nongame contexts. The entry then shows how gamification is applied in web survey data collection and what empirical evidence for its influence on survey participation and data quality exists.