Innovation in online data collection for scientific

research

The Dutch MESS project

Marcel Das

MESS ProjectPurpose: to build an advanced data

collection environment for the social sciences

Maximal opportunities for innovation Multidisciplinary Fast Cost effective Easy to use for everyone in the scientific

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Online panel of 5,000 households 8,000 individuals (>= 16 years)

Questionnaires each month, 30 min.

Incentive € 15 (≈ ₩ 21,500) per hour

At no cost if for scientific use

Central element MESS project: the LISS panel

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Online interviews as method, but:

Probability sample drawn from address sampling frame of Statistics Netherlands

Includes households without Internet access (less than 15%): CentERdata provides equipment

Contacted by letter, telephone or visit

LISS panel

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Very small and silent

Only the most frequently used functions

Automatic maintenance, virus protected

Simple operation and readable screens

Installation and support

simPC

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Non-response patternsSimilar to those of other leading

scientific panels

Superior to commercial access and volunteer panels:

- no coverage problems

- no self-selection

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Attention for attrition

Refreshment sample in 2009 (stratified) and 2011 (random), in close collaboration with Statistics Netherlands

Number of registered households by subsamples; Jan 2008 - July 2012

Source: Scherpenzeel et al. 2012

Non-Internet households(Leenheer and Scherpenzeel, 2012)

Who are they?

Do we get them in the panel?

Are participants representative?

Do they stay in the panel?

Do they stay representative or do they start to use the Internet more frequently?

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Results of study Differ in many ways from Internet hh

Difficult to get into the panel

In panel: representative with respect to age, household size and origin

Loyal and reliable panel members

About half remain “Non-Internet”

Using Internet does not change the answers to questions

Who are they?

Get them in the panel?

Represen-tative?

Stay in the panel?

Stay repre-sentative?

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Use of the LISS panel New data collection

Academic researchers, irrespective of nationality, can use the LISS panel at no cost Proposals can be submitted throughout the year (see http://www.lissdata.nl)

Available data (free of charge)

Proposed studies Longitudinal core study

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Longitudinal Core Study

Questions were designed in close collaboration with experts in the relevant fields

Core study borrows from various national and international surveys (to facilitate comparisons with other data sources)

Topics: Household and family, Economic situation and housing, Work and schooling, Social integration and leisure, Health, Personality, Religion and ethnicity, Politics and values

Wave 5: Nov 2011 to June 201222-04-23

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Innovation in data collection methods

Advanced weighing scales

Device that measures body weight and fat percentage, wirelessly transmitted to LISS database

Provided to 1,000 households in LISS panel

2011: 80,000 measurements

Data can be linked to a wealth ofsocioeconomic variables

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Weekly weight cycle

Source: Kooreman and Scherpenzeel, 2012

Device provides aggregate indices of activity through the day (24 hours)

Wearing the device for 8 days

September 2012: feasibility pilot among 200 LISS respondents

International collaboration: American Life Panel (ALP)

English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA)22-04-23

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Accelerometer study

Smartphone data collectionTime Use Research (TUR)

usually carried out using questionnaires and diariescurrent technology: smartphones and “apps”

Also: after consent, connect diary to movements measured by GPS

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Pilot experiments(Fernee et al., 2012)

Currently < 25% of LISS respondents has smartphone with Internet access

Explore the possibility to loan smartphones to LISS respondents

50 respondents with Android smartphone download app from Android Play-store

50 respondents without Android smartphone app was already installed

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Response

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Day 1: Wednesday Smartphoneowners (50)

Inexperienced users (50)

Day questions uploaded (complete)

40 27

Partially complete 2 15

No observations 3 7

Never logged in 5 1

Day 2: Saturday Smartphoneowners (50)

Inexperienced users (50)

Day questions uploaded (complete)

37 46

Partially complete 9 1

No observations 3 0

Never logged in 1 3

Smartphones: next steps

September 2012: start collecting the actual TUR data on iPhones, Android (loan) smartphones

(in cooperation with The Netherlands Institute for Social Research)

One year: each month a different batch of about 170 respondents

Next to the TUR study:- Project measuring travel behavior (GPS)- Software development for smartphones

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Linking to admin dataExpands the possibilities for scientific

research enormously

Statistics Netherlands offers a remote access facility to (registered) researchers

First project: merging LISS data about minimal and adequate expenditure levels during retirement

with administrative data on pension entitlements and various asset categories

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LISS data: archive and DDI Disseminated through website / data

archive: http://www.lissdata.nl

Database is based on DDI 3: one of the first implementations of version 3(DDI = Data Documentation Initiative,International XML-based standard for data documentation)

Supports ‘Baskets’, allowing researchers to create and download custom datasets

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www.lissdata.nl