Online surveys are now among the most common forms of survey delivery. Typically self-guided, online surveys are useful in collecting private or sensitive information that a respondent would not want to share in-person. With no interviewer present, online surveys are also at a low-risk of interviewer effects.
Mahmutovic, J. (2021) 12 Advantages of Online Surveys (And 4 Disadvantages). Survey Legend. https://www.surveylegend.com/online-survey/advantages-of-online-surveys/
Let’s review the pros and cons of online surveys.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Can survey large samples | Generally biased towards younger or well-resourced respondents |
| Relatively lower cost | May lead to nonresponse bias |
| Can be formatted to minimize potential errors from self-guided format | Potentially subject to technical difficulties |
| Useful for addressing sensitive topics | Does not guarantee a response on sensitive topics |
| Efficient with regards to time spent on design and administration | Lower completion rate than in-person surveys |
| Potential for “gaming” or skewing survey results by taking it multiple times |
Online surveys can also provide opportunities for customizing questionnaire design. For example, an online questionnaire can automatically redirect participants to a new section based on their response to a previous question, minimizing errors in skip patterns.
One benefit is that online questionnaires tend to have lower administrative costs than the three other modes of questionnaires. The low cost of construction and administration means potential samples are nearly endless: anyone with internet access could fill out your survey. However, this also means that you should carefully validate that all the responses come from your population of interest before analyzing them.
Ethics Check
Online questionnaires are still subject to bias. Although their potential sample is large, online questionnaires may suffer from nonresponse. If potential respondents do not check their emails regularly or the questionnaire is directed to their “spam” folder, they may forget to complete an online questionnaire or never see it at all. Additionally, the respondents to online questionnaires may be younger (i.e., more familiar with the technology) or more well-resourced (i.e., greater access to the technology) than the average individual in the population.
There are, of course, some important advantages and disadvantages of using online surveys.
