Abstract: Web surveys have become one of the most widely utilized and popular survey methods in recent years. Data collection on the Internet is faster than other methods such as paper-and-pencil, computer-assisted telephone interviews and personal interviews, because it is simple, cheap and provides quick access to the desired large group of respondents. However, in web surveys, bias may arise mainly due to limited coverage and self-selection. This study appraises characteristics and problems of web surveys and reduction techniques for reducing their biases. The post-stratification weighting is used for reducing these biases. In the application of this study, population estimates are compared to those from a volunteer panel web survey. The data are from the survey “Using Social Networking Sites in the Education of Students of Open Education System, Anadolu University”. It is shown that the weighting adjustment has reduced the bias substantially. When it is necessary to use volunteer panel web surveys, it is recommended to adjust the post-stratification weighting adjustment technique for reducing bias described in this study.
Keywords: Web surveys, Volunteer panel web surveys, Non-probability sampling design, Bias, Weighting adjustment techniques.
Title: Post-stratification Weighting Adjustment Technique for Reducing Bias in Volunteer Panel Web Surveys
Author: Dr. Md. Musa Khan
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
Research Publish Journals
