Web-Based Survey Techniques (2006)

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

3OBJECTIVE Over the last decade, the dramatic increase in the availabil- ity, popularity, and use of computers has made access to the Internet ubiquitous for the majority of Americans (1). Corre- spondingly, the popularity and use of web-based surveys have also been increasing in dramatic fashion, particularly in private-sector market research. This increase is because web- based surveys are often easier and less expensive to admin- ister than alternative survey methods (once a learning curve has been overcome), and that they have the potential to offer more flexibility and features than other survey methods. (The term survey “modes” will not be used in this study and instead survey “methods” will be used to avoid confusion about transportation modes.) Correspondingly, web-based surveys also have a variety of limitations and other com- plexities that need to be understood, some of which are par- ticular to the research issues faced by transit agencies. Owing to the strong, general trend toward web-based surveys (1) and the need for transit researchers to under- stand the technique’s strengths and limitations, this transit synthesis was undertaken. The synthesis describes how web-based surveys are being used by transit agencies and other transit researchers and documents the experiences of web-based survey research as applied in the transit context. In addition, this study not only documents the current state of the practice, but also provides a resource for successful practices in web-based surveying, discusses the technolo- gies necessary to conduct web-based surveys, and presents some specific case studies of transit agency use of web- based survey techniques. METHODOLOGY The primary means of gathering information for this project was a web-based questionnaire of transit research profes- sionals. Thirty-six transit professionals from throughout the country—from large, medium, and small transit agencies; metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs); and private consultancies—responded to the study. This synthesis sur- vey provides the basis for much of the material in this report, along with follow-up interviews with survey respondents based on their original web-based survey responses. In addition, a literature review covering web-based survey research and web-based survey literature in the transit field was conducted. Very little material was discovered; most addressed the large body of general research on survey meth- ods, which was then put into the transit context. Sources were found based on searches of Transportation Research Infor- mation Services (TRIS) and by using search engines, as well as from recommendations of the topic panel. These sources were helpful in forming an understanding of web-based sur- vey techniques and their applications to transit issues. STATE OF PRACTICE Currently, there is a limited number of web-based transit research studies taking place, and those that are being imple- mented are generally somewhat restricted in scope, such as studies testing the usability of various features on a transit agency’s website. However, some notable exceptions have involved far-ranging and complex web-based surveys used in large-scale transit studies. Three of these are detailed in case studies found in chapter six of this report. Based on the information gathered for this study it was determined that there is a strong belief among transit researchers that there is still a major coverage bias when using web-based methods. It was also found that web- based research is considered by transit researchers to be difficult and often costly. However, transit researchers also showed strong interest in web-based survey methods, and gave the impression that web-based research could become a major research medium, as more than 70% of respon- dents not currently using web-based survey methods noted they are “very likely” (28%) or “somewhat likely” (44%) to conduct such research in the next two years. Therefore, transit agencies need to be aware of how the medium works, how to implement it, what general costs to expect, and how to mitigate survey error issues. The purpose of this synthesis is to provide information that increases this awareness. SYNTHESIS ORGANIZATION This report is organized as follows: • Chapter two details the synthesis survey design and the methods used to conduct this survey to determine the current state of web-based survey practice in the trans- portation field. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

• Chapter three presents the results and discusses what was learned from the web-based survey of transit professionals. It describes what is and what is not happening with web-based research in the transit arena and discusses the reasons for the current state of transit agency practice regarding web-based sur- vey research. • Chapter four describes some of the successful practices that are being employed in the transit research area as well as practices from the private sector and described in the literature. The chapter first describes how to design and format a web-based questionnaire. Next, it describes how to reduce and mitigate coverage and non- response errors in web-based surveys and presents the strengths and limitations of web-based surveys and other survey methods so that the transit researcher can evaluate whether and how to best conduct a web-based survey. Finally, the chapter describes the successful 4 practices and strategies being employed to incorporate web-based surveys into transit research. • Chapter five describes how to implement a web-based survey and the technology issues involved in doing so. • Chapter six details three case studies describing proj- ects conducted by NJ TRANSIT, Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink), and Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet). The case studies are used to show what can and is being done with web-based research using actual projects from transit agencies. Various themes described in earlier chap- ters are reinforced and understood in a real-world context based on these case studies. • Chapter seven describes the various lessons learned from this synthesis effort, including ideas for when, why, and how to conduct transit web-based surveys. It also makes suggestions for future research that can be conducted in this area.